Group Topic "Challeneges and Benefits"

When interviewing international students there are both challenges and benefits to the situation. The challenges that one may face when interviewing range anywhere from language capabilities to religious views between the two people. Not everything during the interview is a challenge though. There are benefits as well and they can range anywhere from learning about a new culture to putting yourself into a diverse situation.

When interviewing an international student there can be barriers that prevent you from obtaining the information you were looking for. Language plays a huge role in the interview process. If you cannot understand them, or vice versa, it will be tough for you to communicate. While interviewing the other person, it might be difficult because of cultural differences. Cultural differences not only make it tough for you to interview them but it might make it uncomfortable for interviewee to share information amongst you. In almost every culture there are religious views or customs that people practice. If the two people meeting to talk share different views between the subjects of religion, it will make it tough for one another to actually listen and not be biased. Listening is the key while giving the interview and you don’t want to let biased thoughts wreck the information that is being given to you.

Just because there might be challenges during the interview, it doesn’t mean there can’t be benefits. If you pay attention during the interview there might be a chance you’ll be able to learn something about another culture besides your own.  Interviewing international students you give yourself opportunities for meaningful interactions with others you may have never of had the opportunity to do. Meaningful interactions just might include having a conversation about how life is viewed differently between the two. When you put yourself out there to interview international students you are involving yourself in the diverse community. Asking others about their country or how things worked in the country they are from will enhance your knowledge in global issues or global surroundings. Not only do the interviews give you a chance to make acquaintances but it also gives you the opportunity to compare and contrast your own culture to the culture you have just learned about.

Interviews can be both a struggle and a benefit to both people. Interviews are like a race. There is going to be struggle during the race but hopefully by the end of the race, when you cross the finish line, there is something you got out of it. Preparing yourself to face the challenges will help you obtain the information you were intentionally looking for when you decided to do the interview.

 

Group: Valerie Mattson, Jasmin Sainju, Grant Schow

Works Cited

"Benefits of Student Exchange | World Education Program Australia." World Education Program Australia | Student Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2013. .
<http://wep.org.au/info/student-exchange-benefits>.

"Border crossings in the classroom: The international student interview as a strategy for promoting intercultural understanding | Derek Alderman - Academia.edu." Academia.edu - Share research. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2013. <http://www.academia.edu/1029548/Border_crossings_in_the_classroom_The_international_student_interview_as_a_strategy_for_promoting_intercultural_understanding>.


We chose this essay because it covered the topics we discussed coherently with a sense of structure.The strengths that the paper had were an introduction and a conclusion following the body of the paper.

Interview Objectives and Questions

1. Objectives

I am doing the interview project to learn about other cultures and learn about the lives of international students. For the interviews I am going to be meeting with international students or people. I am going to be sitting down with people and asking them questions about their lives while I record the interview for later use. After I am done interviewing them i will sit down and type out a manuscript describing the interview.

2. Questions

1. What country is it that you are originally from?
2. In your culture how are men and women treated differently?
3. Is it common to study abroad in your country?
4. Do you prefer to be friends with American students or other internation students? and why?
5. Is there a proper way to address a woman or man you're interested in in your country?
6.What is the common age for marriage?
7. How does your religion affect you, such as your beliefs, your daily life, and you preferences?
8. How important are religious customs?
9. Do you have different rules of eye contact and body language in your country?
10. Is there any special custom in your culture? how do you comply with it?
11.What kinds of food do you usually eat in the U.S?
12. Whats the Common food in your country?
13. Whats the most common type of transportation in your country?
14. What do you like to do in your free time?
15. Do you have any questions for me since I have already asked you so much about yourself?

Research Paper - Holistic Living

Finding yourself and being able to become “whole again beyond” is among one of the first steps of recover. There are so many things to confuse us from day to day that we often lose sight of history and the need to be cleansed from our clouded knowledge. Hart writes, “We experience moral confusion, but also philosophical, religious, educational, legal, economic, and political confusion, and part of it all – indeed, at its center – is the sense that something is missing, that the whole is somehow less than the sum of its parts, that there is no center, no structure, no anchor, and no core”(1). The quote above goes to show that we are confused throughout many aspects in life. Becoming “whole” is the hardest step towards recovery because there isn’t any sort of structure to it. Like the quote says, there’s no core. Even though we think at times there isn’t an answer to our clouded questions, there is a clear spectrum through modern history and modern thought to answer them. Hart explains, “Yet I wish to propose, frost-like, that there is a clear stream of understanding that can clarify the issues in these multiple confusions and enable us to see our way beyond them”(2). There’s always a way past confusion, the answer just lies in a place you have not looked yet.

Clearing the mind is essential when you’re dealing with the healing process. Theres a website online that covers holistic living and they say, “Having a Healthy Mind is essential to the healing process. And Emotional Healthy living is a core component of achieving a healthy mind. Our brain chemicals run our bodies. They are the messengers and communicators. If these chemicals are out of balance then our bodies are out of balance”(3). In any given day the mind is the strongest asset that you contain. If your mind isn’t able to think clearly on what it is that you want to achieve, you more than likely will have a harder time achieving your goals. One way to help clear the mind would be through meditation. Meditation allows you to simply ease the mind and put yourself in a stress free environment. Michelle Toole in her article about rewiring the brain mentions, “Meditation is a component of many religions, and has been practiced since antiquity." The purpose of meditating can be many different things to many different people but usually those who practice have a common goal: to quiet the mind, to relax and reflect”(4). One of the essential things when recovering starts in the mind. The mind is your power to control and balance everything in your life. An unstable mind equals an unstable way of living. Certain ways, such as meditation, help you rewire the brain to relax and control situations in your life that effect your brain.

When creating a balanced life on your way towards becoming “whole again”, every person you come across can play a role in your life. Connections with other people can drive you to be great and destroy you. Luckily, you get to decide who you value and want to keep in your life. New Holistic Living website says, “ Of course our lives would not be truly balanced without leaving room for the most fulfilling and enriching experiences most of us ever have -- our connections with each other”(5). Having a healthy life with others in it is a good way to balance out your life. It is an essential part of living “whole” and moving towards the state of self satisfaction.

When moving towards recovery the question you want to ask yourself is, “Am I living holistic?” This can be achieved by rewiring your brain to think differently from the way you do already. Meditation is one way to help, but another is through the intertwining of healthy relationships with the ones you love and care about. Becoming “whole again” is the right step towards recovery. You have to become whole within yourself if you want the world around you to start moving on the right track.

Works Cited 

1. Hart, Jeffrey “Acts of Recovery”, University Press of New England, Hanover and London 1989. Page 15
2. Hart, Jeffrey “Acts of Recovery”, University Press of New England, Hanover and London 1989. Page 15
3. Toole, Michelle. "Emotional Healthy Living: Healthy Mind." n.pag. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/Emotional-Healthy-Living.html>.
4. Toole, Michelle. "Rewire Your Brain for Health and Happiness." n.pag. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/brain-health.html>.
5. "Holistic Loving: Improving Relationships Through Understanding." Relationships n.pag. Web. 3 Oct 2013. <http://newholisticliving.com/relationships.html>.

Review of Five Classmates' Book Posts

Valerie Mattson:

She chose "The Birth of Christianity" by Maurice Goguel. The book was published by The University Press of Aberdeen in Great Britain. The book Was printed in London in 1953, 1st edition. Valerie chose the book because she is a Christian and she loves to learn about it and develop a better knowledge of her religion and the church background. Valerie's Book Review

Adam Block:

He chose "Minotaur" by Joseph Alexander. The book was published in the year 2000. The publisher of the book is Hill and Wang and it was printed and distributed in the United States. City of publication was New York, New York. Adam Chose this book because Greek Mythology interests him. He recently in high school had done a project about the subject. Adam's Book Review

Mary Jean:

She chose "Emotion and Imagination" by Adam Morton. It was Printed by Polity Press in both the UK and the USA. Printed at Polity Press Malden, MA and Polity Press Cambridge, UK 2013. Mary Jean chose the book because she finds psychology and the human mind very interesting. She has considered changing her major to psychology. Mary Jean's Review

Yu Fan:

He chose "Chinese-Japanese War, 1937" by Julla E. Johnson. The H.W. Wilson company printed the book. The book was printed in New York in 1938. Yu chose this book because he wants to stand on a different way to view history and compare things. Yu's Book Review

Yipeng Liu:

She chose "Culture Shock" by Kevin Sinclair & Iris Wong Po-yee. The book was published by special arrangement with Times Editions Pte Ltd. She chose this book because she wants a lot of people to learn about the Chinese culture. She wants people to learn the customs of China and the meaning behind it. Yipeng's Book Review