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| Sophomore
Victor Sabag, officer of event management for the International Bolivian Organization, speaks with freshman Jade Holloway at the Latino RSO expo March 17 in the Union. |
In
California, people would laugh at Chaco sandals, a graduate student from
San Diego said, mostly because the style isn’t custom to their area or
culture. Graduate student Steve Moog teaches a cultural anthropology
course which challenges close-mindedness and ethnocentric views of other
cultures, particularly in studying world cultures.
“I
teach the concept that you should look at other cultures through their
own cultural lens, and that’s really the only way you can do meaningful
research and really get to know a culture,” Moog said. “The purpose is
to expose people to the idea that there are other cultures out there and
we should not look at them as if there were some kind of hierarchy, but
rather we should understand them by walking a mile in someone else’s
shoes.”
Studying abroad allows students
to do just that – live in another culture. Preparing for a trip abroad
requires more than a “five-minute, before-you-go” preparation, said
Laura Moix, assistant director of student exchange, communication and
diversity. For students who choose an immersive language program, much
of the preparation takes place in the classroom, but all students
studying abroad participate in a pre-departure orientation with the
study abroad office.
“I think the university at large
is good preparation for students,” Moix said. “Even if it’s all in
English, there are still different cultures here. There are people from
Texas, small towns, big towns and all sorts of different identities and
backgrounds.”
While in college, Moix studied
abroad in Germany at an intensive language institute, encouraged by a
professor to practice the language. Understanding the language proves
crucial to understanding a culture, she said, but isolation plagues
Americans because of the stereotype that they speak only one language.
“There’s the joke about ‘What do
you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What about
someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What about someone who
speaks just one language? American.’ Sadly, that stereotype is based on a
lot of truth,” Moix said.
The stereotype comes as a result
of the geography of the U.S. and its cultural orientation, said
Alejandro Zeballos, an international student from Bolivia.
“It’s hard not to see your
country as a priority, and it’s hard to look at other countries when
your own country is so big,” Zeballos said. “It comes as a result of
geography; there are many countries smaller than even one state in the
U.S.”
Zeballos speaks Spanish and
English, and though he took English language classes in school, he
credits his fluency to the amount of English media exposure he received
from movies, music and video games.
“In the U.S. there is no reason
to pick up another language because 90 percent of the world you are
likely to deal with speaks English. It’s hard to learn another language
when English is everywhere,” Zeballos said.
The U.S. earned its ethnocentric
reputation “out of ignorance, not malice,” Zeballos said. Moix said
when Americans study abroad with knowledge of only one language, this
tends to reinforce the stereotype.
“You have to break the stereotype
by having more Americans that speak other languages — that’s pretty
simple — and they should do this because the world is not
English-speaking,” Moix said. “Other people can meet us in English, but
then you’re relying on their skills. It’s going to be a somewhat
superficial relationship if you leave it that way because they’re the
ones building the bridge. You can only interact with them if they choose
to interact with you.”
Ethnocentric or close-minded
views arise because of reasons other than language barriers.
Ethnocentric views can create cultural divides on a local level,
depending on cultural norms, Moog said. Fayetteville culture differs
from San Diego culture, just as American culture differs from Bolivian
culture.
“Fayetteville culture is very
peculiar,” Zeballos said. “It’s a mix of Southern charm and hospitality
without the negative associations that might come with it. The UofA
campus is very accepting of diverse people.”
The student population represents
120 countries and all 50 states, according to the UA website. Zeballos
notices a group mentality on campus, and that these various groups
seldom mingle with each other, he said.
“People try to associate with
people they have things in common with … That being said, the university
programs are good at bringing people together under the umbrella of
being a Razorback,” Zeballos said.
Cultural events provide students
with the opportunity to experience different cultures on campus, while
studying abroad allows students to view their own culture from an
outside perspective.
“Most students come back with an
idea of what the U.S. does really well and what the U.S. should adapt.
You take the good and leave the bad and become more aware of it,” Moix
said. “Each community has its own feel, and that doesn't mean it’s bad
or exclusive. It just means the community is aware of who they are.”
Article by Andrea Johnson with the Arkansas Traveler
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If you need help getting started with study abroad, take a
look at the first steps: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/getting-started/first-steps.php.
