I will be studying abroad at the University of Birmingham, England where there are around 35,000 students enrolled. The University of Birmingham has a very large population of college students, creating a sort of ‘college-town’ setting. With that said, there will be many continuous opportunities to meet new people of all different cultures. The book Maximizing Study Abroad talks about how different interactions with people will have an impact on you cultural experience, for example they talk specifically about dating, politics, history and values. The book emphasizes that dating someone from a different culture may be a truly unique experience and may form a built-in cultural informant which can possibly result in a long-lasting friendship. It may also be difficult to date someone from the host culture because the traveler may only be fond of the United States dating customs whereas the partner from the host culture is bringing their societies dating cultures and values into the picture. The different dating cultural customs can create embarrassing moments, laughter or chaos if social cues are not perceived as they should be. The book Maximizing Study Abroad challenges the reader to think about the social norms of dating in the United States and compare them to another society’s perceptions cultural dating. Aspect of dating may be considering the difference between what’s considered a ‘date’ and ‘just hanging out’. Also to think about who initiate a date and is it should be in a private setting or a more public setting. What I think the biggest difference between dating in different cultures is the amount of physical contact that is seen in public environments. In the United States, there is not as much physical contact in public settings whereas is may be normal for people to kiss on public in another country. The book also asks to consider the different ties in politics, values and history. Being an American, residents abroad may view me differently because our political views may be widely different from one another. Also, the media stereotypes might affect how I am viewed as a potential partner, as mentioned in the book. Being an American living in a different country, there will be stereotypes but only to an extent. England is an English speaking country, although they talk with a British accent and tend to use different slang terms that we do not use here in the United States. I will be going to a large college campus so even though I may be going to another country, college students still act as typical students being they want to enjoy themselves and are always open to meeting new people regardless of their cultural identity.
Tag: England
Blog Post – The Great Exhibition of 1851
On the 1st day of May in 1851, The Great Exhibition opened at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. Sir Joseph Paxton was an English botanist and architect who designed the enormous 19-acre Crystal Palace where the Great Exhibition took place. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert was the brain work behind this world wide exhibition that was designed to prove a showcase for the “world’s most advanced inventions, manufactures and works of art” (BBC History, 2014) at the time. Although Prince Albert was the driving force behind this event, equal amount of praise for organizing the remarkable event is owed to Henry Cole, as well. Henry Cole held the day job of an assistant record keeper at the Public Records Office, although his résumé also consisted of writing, editing and publishing journals. As a council member of the Society of Arts In 1846, Henry Cole was introduced to Prince Albert whereas, together, they received a Royal Carter for the society and then changed its name to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce. The society held relatively small sized exhibitions to consistently promote their cause, the government of their day held little interest in the concept of an exhibition though Henry and Albert continued to develop their idea. They intended it to be for All Nations, the greatest collection of art in industry, “for the purpose of exhibition of competition and encouragement” (Historic UK, 2019) while also generating enough income to finance itself. The Great Exhibition included every prodigy of the Victorian era such as pottery, ironwork, furniture, perfumes, pianos, firearms, fabrics, hydraulic presses and even the odd house or two. The original aim of the event was to celebrate the art in industry for the benefit of All Nations, though it happened to be more of a showcase for British manufacturing as more than half the 100,000 exhibits displayed with from Britain or the British Empire. In addition to the successful event, the opening of the Great Exhibition had coincidentally occurred during the same time as another great innovation of the Industrial Revolution. The massive amounts of people who came to visit the Great Exhibition used the new railway lines that opened in 1850, which had nearly 7,000 miles of track linking London with the towns throughout the country of the Midlands and the North. Spanning five summer months from May 1st, 1851 – October 15th, 1851 and attracting nearly six million visitors through the crystal palace doors, Britain had advertised a message to the rest of the world. The Great Exhibition aimed to exceed their superiority that their exhibition must be bigger and better than anything France could organize, while also marking the peak of British economic dominance. The Great Exhibition symbolized the success and achievement that Britain had after the Industrial Revolution & that they were to become a prevailing 19th century constituent.
Blog Post – Cultural Foods
England is home to the popular, iconic and treasured dish called Fish & Chips which is made with crispy cod or haddock fish fried in batter and paired with chips (french fries) that are fried twice in the classic manner and served with malt vinegar, lemon &/or tartar sauce. Fish & chips is a common dish that is known as “Britain’s favorite take out food” (The Spruce Eats, 2019). Stemming back to religion, fish and chips has become the traditional dish to consume on Friday night suppers. Refraining from eating animal red meat on Fridays is known as the Friday fast, practiced by those of the “Christian religion in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist Churches” (FineCooking, 2019). . Followers of the faith traditionally refrain from eating red meat on Fridays as part of a penance to mark the day of Christ’s death. In the 1950s, the standard meal on Friday consisted of macaroni & cheese, tuna noodle casserole or fish sticks. Although the rule is loosely followed today, meat abstinence and Friday night fish fry is still commonly practiced among many traditions. With that said, another traditional dish from the United Kingdom is called bangers and mash, consisting of sausages made with pork, lamb or beef paired with mashed potatoes and usually topped with a rich gravy. The name of these British sausages ‘bangers’ originates from the early 20th century during the time of World War I. Sausages were a popular dish among the British working class, though when the war broke out in 1914 meat was in a drastic short supply. To continue productivity and accustom the meat they did have, cheap fillers and a high amount of water were used in sausages “which caused them to pop and explode rather violently in the cooking pan” (Noble Hops, 2019), resulting in the establishment of the name ‘bangers’. Today, this dish is often served in pub style restaurants and is one of the UK’s most popular meat-based dishes. What I found interesting is that I have never heard of the dish bangers and mash until researching it; although fish is a popular food of choice in the English traditions, it is found to be very common here in the United States where bangers and mash doesn’t seem to be served anywhere in the United States. Following the common Friday night fish and chips meal, bangers are the most consumed food on Saturdays in the UK more than any other day of the week, according the article History of Bangers & Mash by Noble Hops. Fish & chips and bangers & mash are some of the most popular, traditional meals in the United Kingdom. I have researched and tried both meals myself which I can say they are both very appetizing, pungent meals. I look forward to experiencing all the great food options that England has to offer that are not common here in the United States.
Blog Post – British Economy
The industrialized country of England is the largest economy of all countries in the United Kingdom. Contributing the the GDP in the United Kingdom, its strong suits and driving factors are services, manufacturing, construction & tourism. Before the 18th century, England was mainly an agricultural economy until the Industrial Revolution occurred where it then progressed into a highly urbanized and industrial region of the 18th and 19th century. England transformed into a heavy manufacturing powerhouse; distributing iron, steel, textiles & shipbuilding etc. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, foreign competition led to a decline in the production of goods, therefore increasing unemployment throughout the country. The country then recovered by adapting more automotive, chemical, electrical and machine tool manufacturers as the leading industries. In the 20th century, population and urban growth increased and let to a significant decrease in the amount of acreage of farms in England. Despite all the industrial growth over the past three centuries, there are still some countries that continue to maintain heavily agricultural to this day. In 2018, the United Kingdom held a booming gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.8 trillion with a population measured at 66 million. The United Kingdom uses what is called the British Pound, 100 pence makes up £1 pound and a pound it roughly equal to the value of the US dollar. With a diverse economy, the quality of life is considered to be measurably high while the unemployment rate currently stands at 7.6% and continues to maintain an upward growing economy.
Journal Entry 2
Studying at the University of Birmingham, England, I will be able to consider the following information discussing stress factors and learning styles & utilize this to prepare for the the successful possible study abroad experience. In preparation for an upcoming study abroad experience, it is recommended to thoroughly understand and be aware of what Paige (1993) considers to be the 10 most important cross-cultural stress factors of intercultural experiences. A variety of different types of stress factors are mentioned, describing the different challenges and opportunities for one to make abroad. If these stress factors are understood and considered while in different social situations, it can be beneficial to grasp these concept and learn from them to be able to make cultural adjustments. The first stress factor is Cultural Differences, this targets the amount of difference between the home cultural, and the different elements of the host culture. The greater the differences the more challenging the experience will be, a person has to evaluate the host cultures values and behaviors in different social situations. The second stress factor is Ethnocentrism, which measures the degree to which we view the host culture and how accepting the host cultural community is accepting of outsiders. This idea considers the fact of one measuring the reality of the host culture and relating it back their own, leading one to negatively evaluate the various aspects of other cultures. The third stress factor is Cultural Immersion, looking at the amount of contact one will have with the host culture persons. This factor stresses on the fact that if one were to be too immersed in another culture, the more stress may occur causing “culture fatigue”. Cultural Isolation is when a person doesn’t invest in the host culture enough, not experiencing the host culture to its entirety. Lastly, Language, is a major stress factor when traveling to another country. The language barrier in soe study abroad trips can bring about previously mentioned cultural isolation, overall making for a stressful experience. By understanding these possible cultural stress factors, a initial assessment and coping strategy can be thought of ahead of time, & allow one to strategically handle these challenges. Overall, these concepts are presented for a person to gain new intercultural skills and become more effective in the host setting. After completing the Learning Style Survey, I was able to identify different types of learning styles to my preference. Since I am considered an analytic learner, the book states that I can pull ideas apart and do well on logical analysis and contract tasks; being able to guess means and predict outcomes while noticing similarities quickly. Also suggested is that I am more particular in preference and tend to focus more on details and remember specific information about a topic well. I would agree with the results from this survey, because I consider myself a visual and hands-on learner. The characteristics mentioned in the results provided me with a good understanding of more specific information on how I use my physical senses to learn. I will use this information provided to help me completely understand and utilize my strong suits while at the University of Birmingham, England.
Blog World Wide 