I never in my life did expect one day to be at my computer to write a scholarship essay and to write it in English! Fifteen year ago I was a typical Italian architecture student who truly didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grows up. That time of my life was spent to make my parents proud, and to have people talk about how great I was in my academic achievements. The truth is I wasn’t really happy about my college choice. Architecture was my dad’s dream. He had a stroke when I was six years old; he eventually recovered from it but he lost his engineering firm and he had to reinvent himself numerous times. Because of that I decided to make his dream a reality even if I was always more interested in teaching and helping people than drawing …show more content…
In less than a year we got engaged, married and moved to the United States. I was homesick before the plane left. To me the “intriguing” American way of life was just an unfamiliar, confusing, and upsetting mess. I was unable to speak the language and without friends, family and the comfort of home I felt lonely. I cried in the bathroom daily. Then, remembering how my dad successfully rebuilt his life after his stroke, I started to go out more embracing the local culture with a positive attitude. Since then I have worked very hard and I am proud of who I am and of what I have achieved. I had the privilege to work with children with special needs, to teach as a substitute teacher in public schools, and to teach art in private …show more content…
Now the The Spanish travel scholarship would make my dream of having a full immertion int eh spanish culture come true. I choose the study abroad program because I believe that knowing Spanish will enable me to become a better person, a better global citizen, and a better teacher. In the past I had the privilege of working, in my community, with ESL students whose families were unfamiliar with the American school system and recently with the daughter of one of my friends from Mexico. My friend, even after 20 years in the U.S. barely speaks English and for this reason she can only work as a housekeeper. Her daughter is fifteen, she never finished middle school in Mexico and she does not speak English. Her mom decided to employ her in a housekeeping job and to not send her to school here in the U.S. Without access to a solid education she will struggle to emerge from poverty and lead a productive, fulfilling life. Since I am an ESL student myself I feel I can identify with my friend and her daughter who must be fluent in an unfamiliar language to function in school and the world in general. The study abroad program would give me the opportunity, by learning my friend’s language, to understand my student and her cultural and linguistic backgrounds better. By becoming more knowledge about her background I can develop cultural sensitive strategies to effectively engage her in more effective
“You are in America, speak English.” As a young child hearing these words, it did not only confuse me but it also made me question my belonging in a foreign country. As a child I struggled with my self-image; Not being Hispanic enough because of my physical appearance and not being welcomed enough in the community I have tried so hard to integrate myself with. Being an immigrant with immigrant parents forces you to view life differently. It drives you to work harder or to change the status quo for the preconceived notion someone else created on a mass of people. Coming to America filled me with anxiety, excitement, and even an unexpected wave of fear.
There are many challenges that one must face as we go through life. I have faced a few myself, however, none proved more challenging than moving from my country; Jamaica, to the United States and subsequently moving to the state of Wisconsin. Deciding to leave behind family and friends is the hardest decision to make, however, there are a few things that I was not prepared for that made the transition more challenging than expected. Moving away from all that is familiar culturally, socially and economically can be even more of a daunting task than imagined. There are things that are taught to us by our parents and others that are more dictated by our environment than anything else, so when I immigrated to the United States I had three major challenges to overcome.
After my completion of the project, I re-examined my career and life goals. Before I discovered that Edutopia was my idea of paradise, I had never realized that education was so important to me. When I did, though, I decided to pursue a career in education.
Since I still wanted to make friends, I desperately continued to try to break down the barrier between my peers and I and I slowly began to succeed. As I began making more and more friends, my experience in the U.S. started to become a happier one. Although there were still many things about American culture that I did not understand, I chose to face my fears head on which lead to a more content life. I realized that no matter where you are from, what obstacles you had to face, or what social class you belong to, coming to America gives you an opportunity to build a new and better life for you and your family. The journey to learn this lesson was not an easy one, but I’m glad I learned it.
Today as I sit in a graduate class I realize how closer I am getting to the dream I once had as a child. I, Dominique Jerome a Haitian-American always dreamt of being a teacher at a high school and college level. My love for history has grown each and everyday from the second I started attending primary school. As I sit back and recollect on myself as a maker, I realize without my culture, my motivation, my family and passion I would not be where I am at today. My hopes and dreams are to be an asset to the world of academia whether it’s in the classroom or outside the classroom.
The credit that I would fulfill doing this abroad program, an advanced Western Tradition, fits perfectly in my schedule and will help me be one step closer to my early graduation. Most obviously, studying abroad will also benefit my education by giving me a wider-range of knowledge. I will get the chance to talk to numerous people of different backgrounds, hearing what they have done in their life and how they got where they are.
In the first paper we established the influence that culture has on language and the subsequent influence that dominant cultures have on lesser cultures through intimate interaction. We used two historical examples of France and its cultural influence on both Russia (an invited influence from the Russian monarchy) and England (an uninvited influence as a result of the Norman invasion). Now we examine the consequences of language as a social institution utilizing the same subjects (France, Russia, and England). We begin with the definitions of key terms:
The influence of our inherited cultural and linguistic heritage is perhaps less influential than the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the society we live in. The societal forces of our personal micro-environments largely impact who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we speak.
I left my country in the same day I arrived here. I was sad at first when my mom told me that I was going to live in the United States with the rest of my family ; Even though Six years passed without living with my mom I was excited to see her and spend time with her. For a moment when l was informed that l was going to move I thought ; maybe I am not going to adapted to a new routine of life ; because of the different seasons , and the culture. In my natural country ;
It is through the events in the journey of life that shapes and molds who we are as people. As for me, immigrating to America was one of those milestones that have shaped who I am. Those who have had the opportunity of moving from a different country to America know what a privilege it is. I felt the same honor to know that I would be journeying to the land of opportunity. Without hesitance, I spent the last two months packing and making the final preparations before moving to a new continent. Although it was a bittersweet time, leaving my beloved family behind, I knew that I couldn’t resist the treasure that waited for me in the new land. Coming from a developing nation the high level of sophistication that greeted me on arrival to America made feel like I was in paradise.
III. Students should study abroad due to its many benefits including personal growth, intercultural development, and education attainment.
As the saying goes that the United States of America is a land full of opportunities and we as human beings are always on the lookout for good opportunities, so do I. It is true that once you study abroad your outlook and perspective towards life changes completely. Being away from the comfort of your home teaches you to be strong and independent. Higher education gives me a chance to gain knowledge and skills that can be used for rest of my life, and setting up my career and also gives me the job I desire. Initially, my parents had ...
Overcoming unforeseen obstacles in a foreign country will teach you about yourself and how responsible can you be. Traveling the world and seeing it from a whole new perspective is a whole new world than what you can read about it in a book or an article or even watch a video about it. A student from Metropolitan state university of denver stated ‘Study abroad gave me heightened sense of confidence in myself and inspired me to pursue my dreams because after studying abroad I knew that I can accomplish anything I want as long as I work hard and stay committed.’ Experiencing is believing, there is a huge difference when you actually travel and see everything within your eyes than just peek at it through your laptop 's screen. ‘The world is a book and those who don’t travel read only a page.’ Most of the programs offer the opportunity to participate in an internship during your semester, that 's definitely a chance not to
In this subsection, different approaches to teaching culture within the foreign language teaching practice and different views of the term “culture” are going to be presented as a mean to explore the close relationship between culture and language and determine what is understood as culture in this study.
The world is full of wonders and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, that we take advantage of. Traveling is the ultimate education and it never fails as a teacher. It teaches you things no class can about the world and yourself. Seeing a historical spot and being in the environment it is in teaches you what no text book can. Most people hear about what is happening in the world through the bias not understanding media. However, if you are a traveler the real world influences you in a way the media will never be able to. We understand how the world works with its many cultures and lifestyles. Being a part of and experiencing different cultures broadens your views of the world and changing’s what you think of the world. Having expanded knowledge and understanding about culture is not the only thing travelers have. Finding your true self and learning about who you are is the best thing about being a traveler. There is no better way to find yourself because when you travel you open yourself up to millions of opportunities. Without travel you may be completely unaware of your true persona. Your limits are tested and you are completely out of your comfort zone when traveling. Getting out of the comfort zone helps you grow as a person and see your potential. I have experienced many different cultures that have personally changed myself and my outlook of the world. Traveling has given me the greatest education I know more about the world, cultures, and myself. Being a traveler is a huge blessing in my life I am so glad I am able to travel and see the world. Nothing can take away the memories that traveling and being a traveler has brought me. Get out there and see this beautiful world for yourself and become a traveler, you will not regret