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

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - From...

From Obsession to Madness in Hamlet In Shakespeares play Hamlet, there are several questions that come to the readers mind regarding the emotional state of Hamlet. Was Hamlet really suffering from madness, as many of his friends and family thought? Was he mad or just pretending to be mad? Did Hamlet start out pretending to be mad, and his obsession drove him to madness? The reader gets insight into Hamlets mental status through other characters and through Hamlet himself. If the characters had the information that Hamlet had about the murder of his father, would they have thought differently of his actions and his sanity? Early in the play, King Claudius and Queen Gertrude show their concern for†¦show more content†¦We get more insight into Hamlets mind after he meets the ghost of his father. He is speaking to his confidant and friend Horatio: Here as before, never, so help you mercy, How strange or odd someer I bear myself- As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on- (1.5.177-180) In this statement, you see somewhat of a different Hamlet, someone who is committed to a plan of action. Hamlet has spoken to his fathers ghost and learned that his uncle was responsible for his fathers murder. This knowledge and his determination to hold his uncle accountable appear to be the start of Hamlets obsession. In Act 2, the King and Queen continue to try and determine why Hamlet is acting the way he is. They request his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out what is wrong. Polonius learns from Ophelia that Hamlet could be mad for thy love? (2.1.84), but Ophelia is not sure of it. Polonius delivers his opinion to Claudius and Gertrude in which he states that Hamlet: Fell into sadness, then into a fast, Thence to a watch, thence to a weakness, Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension, Into a madness wherein now he raves And all we morn for. (2.2.147-151) Here we start to see HamletShow MoreRelatedMadness And Madness In Hamlet701 Words   |  3 PagesIn the play â€Å"Hamlet†, Shakespeare portrays the series of unfortunate events that develops into tragic characters and illustrates the symptoms of madness through Prince Hamlet and Ophelia while identifying the difference between genuine madness and feigned madness. The difference in madness and sanity is subject to change depending on the circumstances and one’s actions depicted through Hamlet’s tone in the play. 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In contrast, Ophelia is openly mad and is used by Shakespeare to show the various forms of insanity. According to Carney Landis and James D. Page, there are three levels of social adjustment: thereRead MoreShakespeare Major Paper2833 Words   |  12 Pagesmany of Shakespeare’s plays, one of the central themes with which he provides his readers is the topic of madness and insanity. In Karin S. Coddon’s, â€Å"Such Strange Desygns†: Madness, Subjectivity, and Treason in Hamlet and Elizabethan Culture, the author depicts the reasons behind the psychosis of Shakespeare’s characters and what led to their insanity. The author expresses insight for not only the themes of madness in Hamlet but also helps explain the aspect of madness in one Shakespeare’s other playsRead MoreMental Issues In Hamlet900 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet clearly has a lot of mental issues. Hamlet never seems to truly come back once he is set on his moral journey. He is originally devastated and depressed at the murder of his father, but his moral path is shifted when he encounters his father’s ghost. After that he turns on a path of vengeance against Claudius for murdering his father and wooing his mother. The other characters’ paranoia intertwine with Hamlet’s moral pathRead MorePsychoanalysis Of Hamlet1171 Words   |  5 PagesPsychoanalysis of Shakespeare’s Hamlet In the world of literature, drama is one of the more subconsciously relatable and personable subgenres. Fiction and poetry may convey common events or stories, but drama uniquely presents them before the audience’s eyes, where every detail is analyzed and absorbed. Because drama is physically portrayed through actors, the audience members process body language and physical aspects of the stage in conjunction with the spoken script, to piece together individualRead MoreMind and Hamlet1132 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"An admirable text does not define or exhaust its possibilities†. What possibilities do you see in Shakespeare’s Hamlet? Discuss your ideas with close reference to at least two scenes from Hamlet. Shakespeare’s texts have been re-visited, re-interpreted and re-invented to suit the context and preferences of an evolving audience, and it through this constant recreation it is evident that Hamlet â€Å"does not define or exhaust its possibilities†. Through the creation of a character who emulates a variety

A Look At Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - 2747 Words

Introduction: In this paper we will take a look at posttraumatic stress disorder (from here on referred to as PTSD) in adults, aged 18 years and older, who have been victimized by sexual abuse as a child. In every case of childhood sexual abuse there are always lingering effects from the trauma. While some victims have a positive network and receive the help needed to cope with traumatic events such as this, others are left to suffer in silence, which in turn causes a variety of long term crisis’s. One such issue that may arise in the area of psychiatric health is posttraumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event, generally coincides with two emotions, guilt and shame, expressed by the†¦show more content†¦An adult who functions inappropriately in society victimizes a childhood sexual abuse victim. When the victim spirals into shame and guilt related to PTSD, as a child or an adult, their emotions and actions will af fect the society they come into contact with. What is hoped to be understood is that childhood sexual abuse does not only effect the short term. Those that do not have a healthy relationship to turn to in order to disclose the abuse will come to an end where their daily life is consumed by guilt and shame. Literature Review: The Mayo Clinic defines PTSD as, â€Å"a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event.† These events can be personal inflicted on the person or witness by a person. For anyone who experiences a traumatic event readjustment can be difficult and a long process but those that receive help can make a recovery. For those that the have lasting symptoms or have symptoms that get worse they may be diagnosed with PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD are intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and/or changes in emotional reactions. Reminders or stressors of the traumatic event can lead to intensity in PTSD symptoms. There are 5 most common kinds of traumatic events that could lead to PTSD, two of which are child neglect and abuse and sexual abuse.

Fruit and Calcium Phosphate Ca free essay sample

Washed, crushed livesnail or kuhol (eggs can also be used)place in a plastic container. Pestle orcrush materials Don’t use hands. Add thesame amount of molasses or Muscovadosugar. Mix sugar in ? container with fishingredients then remaining molasses. Prepare at night to prevent flies frombreeding. Apply directly to thesoil or to the ground, not to the leaves. Keep concoction from direct sunlight. Store in dry coolplace. Cover and keep in a cool place or shadedarea. Drain to extract liquid after 10 to 15days. Transfer liquid into a clean plasticbottles Wait till tiny bubbles disappearbefore sealing the cover before storing. Always leave about ? of bottle empty soIMO can breath. Calcium Phosphate Ca? P(animal bone) Induced flowering, prevent overgrowth. For older plants, it Increase calcium factor on roots and leaves. Calcium Phosphate (Ca? P) is the product which according to the plants’ lifecycle and can be fast? effective. Ca? P is applied when the plants are about to flower. We will write a custom essay sample on Fruit and Calcium Phosphate Ca or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Feed to animals during pregnancy or breeding timeat 200 times dilution. Spray when first flowers comes out. ex: tomato plant , cucumber, eggplant etc. Boil or broil 2 kilos ofanimal bones to separatemeat and fat untilremaining meat to thebone is charcoal blackscrape charred meat andlet it cool. Do not burnthe bone. Ratio 1:10 1 Place bone in a plasticcontainer and pour 5gallons of purecoconut or sugarcanevinegar. Cover for 30days. Filter and used. Keep air tightcontainer. 2 Calcium (eggshell and shells) Strengthen Flowers. Contributes to better utilization of carbohydrates and protein. It is also a major element in forming a cell membrane and enables smooth cell division make fruit hard and sweet. Spray CA on the leaves after the fruits has become large. They prevent overgrowth and get a sweet hard ruit. Add seawater, calcium phosphate or OHN for better taste and aroma of the fruits. It is applied when nitrogen is big. It is the most important ingredients for flowering. Wash and crushedeggshell and take theinside filament or film. Pan fry 2 kilos eggshelluntil brown, set aside andcool. Vinegar first thenpour slowly the eggshells. 1 Wait till the tiny bubbles disappear and stop. Use exact container. Cover and ferment for 20 days. Filter and use keep in airtight container..