My intercultural communication at school Essay Example for Free

My intercultural communication at school Essay My ESL classes at Heald College took six months and these were necessary requirements so that I could pursue major courses in Architecture. There were other students like me from other countries and it felt good to belong to a group that was being taught the American way of life and culture. It felt good because it gave me the feeling that I was not alone in my hardships. It did not feel so bad and odd being with a group struggling with nuances of the English language and pronunciation and the idiosyncrasies of American culture. While I considered myself an out-group when I was with natural-born Americans, I felt like a member of an in-group when I was with the foreign students. Probably, this feeling springs from the fact that one naturally feels out of place when all others behave and talk in a different way. There is some comfort gained from knowing that one is just like the others. My struggle to fit in was at times frustrating, as I could not be properly understood by the teacher on account of misplaced accents or outright mispronunciations. At first I really felt stupid when the teacher would rephrase my statement and ask if it was what I meant. When I would say it was not what I meant, another classmate would butt in with a genuine intention to help me out but I would end up all the more confused and misunderstood. Realizing the setbacks of my lack of facility with the language, I resolved more than ever to master the English language. My Intercultural Communication at Work Working as a busboy and later, as a waiter in a restaurant gave me the chance to encounter more people and gain more facility with the English language. Finding work was quite an exhilarating experience for me. I felt that I could already communicate my ideas clearly and so I gained more confidence. Of course, there were still some instances when some patrons would fail to understand how I pronounce my words but whenever such a thing happened, I would remember the word and practice saying it correctly when I got home. I had discarded my Dari-English dictionary and I could already carry on a conversation with a native speaker of American English without fumbling for the right word or halting. I once attempted to be friendly with other waiters hoping to generate deeper camaraderie while we were up and about with our tasks. To my horror, I found that Americans seem to be single-minded and so focused when they go about their work that banter is misconstrued as not being serious about work. From then on, I learned to be very business-like while doing my work, bearing in mind that I was not working in an Afghan setting Conclusion This profound reflection on my sojourn in America has made me realize a lot of things that I once took for granted. First, I realized that I possess the resilience and tenacity that is a hallmark of a true Afghan. I used to take for granted the lore and history that due to the Afghan experience of a succession of foreign invasions, Afghans are by nature strong in spirit and character. Indeed, it is no easy task for an 18-year-old boy to force himself to become an adult almost overnight due to peculiar personal circumstances. I realized too that exposure to another culture widens ones horizons and makes one more tolerant of other people. Assimilation into another culture truly begins and is facilitated by an earnest desire to learn the language to a level that one speaks it like one born into the language itself. Together with this is a keen sense of awareness of the seemingly insignificant cultural differences between one’s culture of origin and the host culture. Cultural sensitivity, if I may use the term, enables one to steer clear of problematic situations. Indeed, it is not always wise to act and behave according to one’s cultural orientation when one is in another cultural setting. My intercultural communication with the Peterson family was at first regulated by cues from the reactions of Mr. Peterson. I came to know what he disliked by observing how he reacted. Yet, the sincere sharing of cultural traditions was the factor that truly made our relationship rise up to a higher level. Mutual respect and understanding resulted from the open sharing and this could not have happened by merely observing each other’s reactions. Truly, if one wants to have a meaningful intercultural communication, it must begin with an honest sharing of culture and traditions. It makes it possible to view the other person from their own cultural perspective. The moment I stopped my automatic comparison of Afghan and American values whenever I encountered an unfamiliar cultural practice, I became more accepting of American culture. As Holliday, Hyde and Kullman advise, â€Å"Put aside simplistic notions about what is real and unreal in your perception of another culture, and appreciate that every society is as complex and culturally varied as your own†. (10) The moment I began to have this attitude in my attempt to fully integrate myself into American society, I may have taken the first step towards â€Å"intercultural competence†. Alred and Byram (2002) define intercultural competence as â€Å"the ability to behave appropriately in intercultural situations†¦. the ability to stabilize one’s self-identity while mediating between cultures† (340). I may have taken the first step but I still have a long way to go. All people regardless of culture have the innate need to feel a sense of belongingness. I am sure this is the reason why I felt at ease with my fellow Afghans as I did with other foreign students who were struggling to deal with language difficulties. Yet, once a genuine intercultural communication is initiated, it leads one to learn and marvel at the diversity and richness of all cultures around the world. Works Cited Alred, Geof and Mike Byram. â€Å"Becoming an Intercultural Mediator: A Longitudinal Study of Residence Abroad. † Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 23. 5 (2002). Retrieved from http://www. multilingual-matters. net/jmmd/023/jmmd0230339.htm on April 25, 2007. Holliday, Adrian, Martin Hyde, and John Kullman. Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book. New York: Routledge, 2004. Questia. 25 Apr. 2007 http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=108464145. Robson, Barbara, Juliene Lipson with Farid Younos and Mariam Mehdi. â€Å"Afghans Their History and Culture, Cross-Cultural and Adjustment Challenges, published by the Center of Applied Linguistics, The Cultural Orientation Resource Center last updated 6/30/02. Retrieved from http://www. cal. org/co/afghan/acult. html on April 25, 2007.

Age-Related Vision Loss and Driver Safety Issues :: Optometry Vision Sight Driving Essays

Age-Related Vision Loss and Driver Safety Issues With dramatic increases in the number of motor vehicles on public roadways in this century, driving safety is an issue that affects every one of us. Most Americans rely on the use of personal motor vehicles as their primary means of transportation, and must put themselves at risk every day. The risk of a motor vehicle accident increases when our perceptive skills are degraded in any way. Such is the case with alcoholic intoxication, impairment from the use of narcotics, and loss of perceptual accuracy due to any biological reason. One of the many issues in current debate with regards to motor vehicle safety is that of the growing numbers of elderly drivers on public roadways and the perceptual problems they may encounter with age. Age-related vision loss is becoming a more prevalent issue in roadway safety. Most states require a simple form of vision testing in order to become a licensed driver. These tests are rapidly being seen as inadequate, and in need of revision. Some state s do not at all require a vision test to become licensed to drive. Currently, the states not requiring vision tests for license renewal include: Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia. These states could cut the accident rate in people over age 60 by 12 percent, if they would simply utilize testing procedures (N.S., 1999). In this paper, issues facing the aging driver, and possible solutions to ensure safe roadways for the public as a whole, will be explored. The average driverà ­s age is steadily increasing. Census estimates show that by the year 2020, approximately 50 million people over the age of 65 will be eligible to drive on public roadways (Cobb & Coughlin, 1998). With a significant increase in the number of people likely to be affected by age-related vision loss, society may need to re-evaluate vision standards for license testing. It is standard practice for a motor vehicle bureau to test only visual acuity. This practice does not take into consideration perceptually impairing factors encountered in driving such as glare or fog (Voelker, 1999). The lack of adequate visual testing is commonplace in all states that test vision ability. It has been found however, states that at least test for visual acuity during license renewal have approximately 12 percent less automobile accident deaths among older drivers (Voelker, 1999).

The Appendicular Skeleton

The clavicle is a long bone, but it has no medullary cavity. The clavicle supports the scapula and arms, it protects deeper structures (blood vessels, for example) in the upper chest, and it transmits impact from the arms to the axial skeleton. The scapula is attached to the thorax and vertebral column by muscles. The pectoral girdles attach the upper extremities (limbs) to the axial skeleton and provide attachment sites for many muscles that move the upper limbs. The 2 pectoral girdles and the associated muscles form your shoulders.The pectoral girdles are very flexible and allow the upper limbs a great deal of flexibility. They permit movement in many directions at the shoulder joint. The socket of the shoulder joint is small, shallow, and poorly reinforced with ligaments. This arrangement is good for flexibility, but it is not very stable. Shoulder dislocations are therefore fairly common. The UPPER LIMBS (extremities) (FIGS. 8. 4-8. 8) consist of 60 bones; 30 bones per limb. Thes e are the bones of the arms, wrists, and hands.They include the HUMERUS, ULNA, RADIUS, CARPALS, METACARPALS, and PHALANGES. The PELVIC GIRDLE (hip girdle) (FIGS. 8. 9-8. 11 & TABLE 8. 1) attaches the lower extremities (limbs) to the axial skeleton, and it supports and protects the visceral organs of the pelvic cavity. The pelvic girdle is a strong and stable support for the lower limbs. While the shoulder girdle moves somewhat freely and allows the arms a great deal of mobility, the pelvic girdle is secured to the axial skeleton by some of the strongest ligaments of the body.Its sockets, which articulate with the thigh bones, are deep and cup-like and are heavily reinforced with ligaments. Even though both the shoulder and hip joints are ball-and-socket joints, the thigh cannot move in its socket with the same degree of freedom as the arm can in the shoulder joint. Flexibility in the hip joint is sacrificed for stability. The pelvic girdle consists of the 2 HIPBONES (coxal bones). E ach hipbone of a newborn baby consists of 3 bones: the superior  ILIUM, the inferior and anterior PUBIS, and the inferior and posterior ISCHIUM. Eventually these fuse into one COMPOSITE bone.The area where they all fuse is called the ACETABULUM, which serves as the socket for the femur. The PUBIS of the hipbones meet anteriorly at the PUBIC SYMPHYSIS. The hipbones articulate posteriorly with the sacrum at the SACROILIAC JOINT. The 2 hipbones, with the sacrum and coccyx, form the basin-like structure called the PELVIS. The LOWER LIMBS (extremities) consists of 60 bones (FIG. 8. 12-8. 17); 30 bones per limb. These include the FEMUR (thighbone), PATELLA (kneecap), FIBULA & TIBIA (lower leg), TARSALS (anklebones and heel bones), METATARSALS (feet), and PHALANGES (toes).

The Art of Mariko Mori The Use of Body as a Subject...

How has the artist used the body as a subject matter to represent issues of identity ad culture in his/her society? Mariko Mori (born in Tokyo in 1967) is considered one of the major young representatives in the contemporary art scene. She worked as a fashion designer before and this inspired many of her later works. Mariko Mori uses her body to explore the instability of identity by presenting herself in glittering, self-designed costumes in extremely out of the world settings, juxtaposing reality and fantasy. She approaches her work in a rather narcissistic way, documenting herself as different images, taking on different identities and roles to convey her intentions in her artworks. Her works is a mixture of culture and technology,†¦show more content†¦The use of vibrant and cool metallic colours give a sense of a world that we are unfamiliar with, possibly the future as these colours contrast with the usual earthly natural tones in our current world. The photographic effect of lighting in the photograph has emphasized the potency of the metallic colours due to the stark contrast betwe en the foreground and the background. Adding on, the character appears to have reached a state of ‘perfection’, getting in touch with her spiritual side. This place may seem to be a world of perfection, a Utopia due to the intensity and calming effect of the colours. Perhaps, Mariko Mori is suggesting that by letting ourselves get in touch with our inner spirit, we would be transcending the boundaries between the spiritual being and the material. Thus, as technology develops, it is expected that we ourselves also develop with it and achieving our perfect state in the future. This again bridges the divide between two separate realms; spiritual and worldly, eastern and western, initial fantasy into reality. Therefore, this comes back to the idea of the instability of identity, that as human beings progress, this will result in the change of social norms and conventional boundaries of who, what we are. The symmetry and balance in the photograph not only brings focus to the 3 replicated fairies in the middle but also