Good evening everyone. My name is Pia Illmann and tonight I would like to share with you some of my experiences with living abroad. I was born in Germany, moved to Greenville with my family when I was very young and after spending four years here in Greenville, moved back to Germany before moving to the UK. After three years in the UK, my family and I came back to Greenville for another five years.
The best way of finding out about another culture is by completely immersing yourself in it; by living in that culture. Living abroad, however, can be very stressful. Apart from the initial culture shock everyone experiences at the beginning, you will have to deal with getting accustomed to a new culture. Everything from the currency exchange rate to the customs and national holidays to the different landscapes will take some getting used to. You potentially will also have to learn another language. Language barriers can make even the simplest tasks such as grocery shopping a real challenge. Limited communication skills can cause confusion and frustration.
Settling in can be even more difficult when you experience homesickness or suffer from being separated from family and friends back home. You realize that you can no longer experience important life events or holidays with them. Judging from my own experiences, I would say that it takes at least two years to fully assimilate into a new culture.
However, the advantages to living in a foreign country definitely out-way the disadvantages. You broaden your horizon through being open to new knowledge and customs and you become more adaptable. You gain new perspectives. You learn new languages and skills that will always be beneficial as you grow as a person. You learn to tolerate differ...
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...at I can still speak German. Dr. Kirby's German class for native speakers as well as the German I speak at home have helped me keep up with my German. I have also taken French as my third language in school since 7th grade. Madame Mitchell has taught me so much in the last couple of years and I cannot believe how much my French has improved since my first day in her class in 9th grade. I have loved hearing about the French culture and her experiences with living abroad.
I myself no longer have a home. I have lost the feeling of belonging somewhere. MY home is the world. I am a citizen of the world.
I would like to end my speech with this quote from Miriam Adeney: “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” Thank you.
What is home? Home does not necessarily have to be a specific place it could also be a place that you feel safe or comfortable in. From the early 1500s to the late 1900s, Britain used its superior naval, technological, and economic power to colonize and control territories worldwide which affected how most of these people's thoughts on what home is. In “Back to My Own Country” this story is about a girl that moved to london at a young age and was forced to change her morals and beliefs to try and seem less than an outsider to the community. The second story “Shooting an Elephant” is about orwell, a sub divisional police officer in Moulmein who was hated by large numbers of people and didn't feel welcome where he was and later was forced
For me adapting a new language was tough because where I came from we don’t verbalize English. So, before we move to the United States I had to get that primary knowledge of English in a short duration. At that time I consummated my one semester of 9 the grade. My parents thought of dropping me out school, so I can just focus on English. Since then my main focus was to learn English. I think that was the hardest thing I have done in my life. Day by day I was learning incipient thing, but I wasn’t quit understanding the language.
Moving to America has been hard at points due to social and cultural differences but with all of that it has been very interesting and that has created new experiences for me. I have come from England where I lived in the countryside and brought up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, and where everyone knows everyone. However being here in America where everything is right on your doorstep practically, loads of people about and living in a suburban area has been a real change.
Home is a term that is used throughout the world as the place where one lives.
I remember moving to a new school and not knowing the language. Students helped me learn French and it seemed so hard at first. Sometimes, students did not always teach me the nicest things to say, such as profanity, but everything was fun and new. Teachers were very nice and understanding due to the fact that I ...
Coming to a totally new country can be difficult if a person has no knowledge about the country. It's stressful when the language makes it difficult to communicate with others. Its also embarrassing when a grown person has to ask what does the sign above a shelf, says or when people can’t help out because they simply can’t understand what you are trying to say.
Studying abroad is a dream for many people especially, who live in a country that has lacks education. It is possible that a dream realized for those who they want. However, it has many consequences, causing lack of livelihood to adapt to the different languages and cultures. Eva Hoffman, author of “Lost in Translation” wrote about her experience when she moved from Poland to Canada as a teenager. She felt as a “felt persona” when she merged with Canadians with different culture and language. Also, she felt as a woman who has two different figures, causing a lack of acclimatization. My own experience is similar Hoffman’s experience but, the most different thing that made me a little comfortable is trying to convince myself that
Going to study in a new country can be a stressful experience, from learning the culture norms to new foods. Culture shock is common with international students. Culture shock can include, meeting new people, language barriers, social behaviors, and a sense of community. A students comfortability with the culture of their new home can determine their learning experience. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, being so far away from family and friends. American culture is difficult to understand. International students find Americans to be confusing. Social norms vary depending on the part of the country a person is in.
Even before arriving to the United States, the fear I felt was not having the familiarity of home (St. Lucia). Moving to the U.S meant that I had to start my life all over again. This time it would be without the unwavering support of my family and friends. Whether I succeeded or failed in school was entirely up to me. It wa...
Living in another country is always accompanied by change. It would illogical to deny the fact that living in another country-in another language and culture, principally leads to personal development. The different aspects of personality suspend and one takes on the mannerisms, qualities and opinions that define the people in a foreign country (Kohls 9). Nothing is wrong with the change. In the first place, it is a major reason why the individual moved to the new country-they wanted to evolve by putting...
I have opinions of all the places I have lived. Each place has its advantages and disadvantages, and I am not sure if there is any place that really fits me well. In this essay, I will examine the bad and good aspects of some of the places I have lived. Then, I will compare what I consider to be "ideal" conditions with the good aspects of those places where I have lived. Lastly, I will choose the place that I think is best for me.
Studying abroad can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a college’s students career. For many colleges, having their students can mean an increase in tuition, higher application rates, and overall better reviews by their students. According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, by Scott Olsen, “The Wall Street Journal reported last month that several small colleges are requiring students to pay full tuition even if the programs cost less, setting caps on the amount of financial aid sent abroad, and limiting how many students can participate”(5). Also, Olsen tells us “In the 2003-2004 school year, 7,208 students from Indiana universities went on study-abroad programs, according to the most recent statistics available from the Institute
“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends (Robot check).” A place becomes a home for me when I am around all the things that I enjoy and love. For example, when I am around everyone that I love, I enjoy a peaceful environment and the beautiful landscapes around me. The interpretation of home for me is not a physical thing that I see or that I can remember or even certain thoughts that I can relate, but it is a sensation that overcomes me when I envision being in the comfort of my own home. However, I know that this is a feeling that is calming to my soul and it quietly reassures me that I genuinely belong in a place where I can be free from people constantly judging me.
After my high-school graduation I did not know which university should I go to? Should I go to a university in my home country or at one in other country? At that time I did not know the answer for that question, and I did not know which choice could be better. I needed some advice or someone to tell me the better choice, and in my life I did not know a person better than my dad on giving advices. He told me that the better choice would be to study abroad, and I will tell you how he convinced me.
Have you ever thought about studying abroad? No, not just for a few months for your work-experience, but a whole year (or longer) as a transfer-student. Of course, you don’t make such a decision from one minute to the next. It needs to be thought over well. Going to college is a big change in your life because it usually means living on your own for the first time, but as a foreign student it is even a bigger change because you are on your own in another country. This is often the greatest concern for students to go abroad: to leave everything behind. They have trouble leaving their family and the familiar environment. They think this price is just too high. But if they only knew how rich they will be when they come back.