ISD 200 WEEK 7 MULTICULTURALISM AND FRIENDSHIP JOHN BELMONT

John’s notes – short version  Missing more than 3 classes  Failing to turn in 4 or more assignments

Making friends from a new culture  Why is it important? (an overview) Multiculturalism Personality Development Knowledge and Experiences Openness and Acceptance Awareness of One’s Own Culture

Making friends from a new culture Multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the acceptance and promotion of the differences within races, cultures and religious backgrounds. Teaches one to accept differences between cultures (religious, cultural) and that no one way is the right way. Important for navigating a growing global community.

Making friends from a new culture Personality Development Traveling and gaining different experiences has a highly positive influence on one’s personality. Having friends from different cultures will help you learn the nuances (language, practices, habits). Leads to effective personality development and growth as a member of the global community.

Making friends from a new culture Knowledge and Experiences Learn about their world – beliefs, traditions, practices – how they navigate life. The more experiences you have in a different culture will only help to make you a wiser member of the global community. Your future ideas and concepts will be influenced not only by your own culture, but from a wider global culture thus making you a more valuable asset to the community (employer).

Making friends from a new culture Openness and Acceptance We learn to become more accommodating / tolerant We learn to not jump to conclusions - we think before we speak, or withhold judgment These skills are transferable to other areas of your life

Making friends from a new culture Awareness about One’s Own Culture Compare the two cultures Contemplate the good and bad of our own culture Learn that our and your ways are not necessarily the right ways – they are just other ways.

So how do we meet people in the US? The difficulties, international student quotes: “ When they’re in their own country and there’s a minority outsider who they’ll have to put particular effort into getting to know, I think most of them just don’t bother.” “One american student can be really different from another, so there is no general pattern to look for.”

So how do we meet people in the US? The difficulties, American student quotes: “I think that I get nervous to say something wrong,” said this student, or “if they have a thick accent that I will offend someone by asking them to repeat what they said more than once.” “At my school, international students stick together,” said Laura at the University of Central Oklahoma. “There’s always a group of two or more in my classes and they rarely try to talk to us, so we sort of just leave them alone. It’s like they don’t want to make friends with us.”

So how do we meet people in the US? Some positive thoughts, International student quotes: “They are more friendly. They are respectful of diverse culture and assist to make you accustomed to the American society.” “American men, especially John, are very handsome and approachable.”

So how do we meet people in the US? Some positive thoughts, American student quotes: “I think the international students on my campus are really interesting and wonderful people and a lot of times I feel that they are more grounded and well-rounded than American students.” “International students add so much more to a college campus. They have experiences that you could not possibly have, and make some of the best friends. The negatives are negligible.”

So, why aren’t American students meeting Internationals?

Meeting People, in general  How do you meet people in your own culture?  Most likely you can utilize the same strategies because… We are all HUMAN

Strategies for making US friends Some Strategies for Meeting Americans “Hang out” at local social hot spots Coffee shops (Blue Saucer) Hobbies – sports, music, reading, shopping Groups/Clubs On campus clubs ASA – Asian Student Assoc. KSA – Korean Student Assoc. ISAN - Indonesian student assoc. Mahjong Board Games Billiards Soccer Visit Student Leadership for many more

Strategies for making US friends Some Strategies for Meeting Americans, cont. Church groups Community support (volunteering) Internet Resources – USE GOOGLE!! Meetup.com Yelp Events – yelp.com Search Google for Seattle events (volunteer) Age plays a role – everyone needs to learn how to socialize at some point in their lives Personality – are you introverted or extraverted? Do not be overeager Look for commonalities before approaching

Role Play

Other advice  Have at least one friend from your own culture.  Stay motivated  Take initiative – you have no right to complain that you are not making American friends if you have not tried the strategies we have listed.

Final thoughts to consider Why are you here? Just to earn high grades? Simply to get into your dream college? Just to learn English? The benefits of creating and maintaining multicultural relationships while you are here, in our opinion, far outweigh the benefits of those goals listed above.

Dianang Ma, Jiwoon Choi, and Chien-Feng Chu Come see me during the break.

Speak with one American that you do not already know, not NSC faculty or staff. Write about this experience. Assignment 7 – Due May 28