Gloria_Chapter 11_Response

This chapter mainly talks about the intercultural encounters! Time flies, my study abroad in the US is about to end! I think the acculturation curve on page 385 really depicts the shifts of my feelings and emotions over time when I am in the US. I still remember I felt extremely excited about all the new things as I arrived here for the first couples of days! However, as the semester began, especially in the first week of school, I felt a little bit worried and depressed because I couldn’t catch up what the professor said in class and moreover all the classmates were new to me! It took me about a month to adapt this situation and I didn’t feel that depressed after all. I enjoyed going to school and interacting with my classmates. Though I still have 3 weeks to go, I start missing my life here now! I think I am now at the stable state of the acculturation curve (Phase 4c) and I consider myself as biculturally adapted.

Overall, this study abroad makes me reflect upon language not only as a source of communication, but also as a source for power and learning. I think it is important for everyone, especially teachers, to experience a situation where no one else speaks the same language or shares the same culture because it teaches you to respect, understand, and acquire patience for those people who experience such situations every day, such as immigrant children in classrooms.