My Last Meeting With Joe # 6

This past week marked my last meeting with Joe. It is sad to think that our meetings have come to an end. I really had no idea that this assignment would have the impact that it did. At first I was assigned a different partner to meet with, but as so many of us have experienced, the communication was not working. I had doubts that this assignment would work out for me even though I was putting in a lot of effort to meet with my partner. Thankfully Dr. Williams and the IEP coordinator were able to help me get set up with another partner. Joe happened to come to TCU in early October, right around the time when I was struggling to communicate with my past partner. The pairing with Joe worked out so well. I am sad that Joe will not be here next semester because it would have been nice to catch up with him during the year. The good news is that Joe and I are Facebook friends so I will be able to talk to him and see how he is doing all the way in Japan!

At our last meeting Joe and I discussed where each of us was heading in the coming year. I discovered that Joe is moving a long a lot quicker than I expected. He only has a few months left at his university in Japan before he graduates in April. After graduation he already has work set up at a company where he lives. It seems so strange that he already has so much figured out. I explained to Joe that I have a lot of goals and aspirations about my future but they seem so far away at this point in my life. I told Joe about my plans for graduate school and the spiraled us into a conversation about differences in universities here in the United States and Universities in Japan. I know I have briefly discussed this in one of my previous blogs but I really want to explain how important I this aspect of our conversation was. I never thought about what it would be like to go to school in a completely different country. I know a lot of people study abroad but still they are mostly focused on their majors and are just exploring it in a different culture. What I mean by this is even though people go abroad to schools in different countries, most of the time they are focusing on what their major is here at TCU or just taking credits to satisfy the core. What Joe and the other IEP students do is so much different than that experience. Joe left Japan to fully immerse himself in American culture and learn the language and its components. I am not saying that Americans who study abroad don’t dive into another culture but rather they aren’t really taking an intensive approach. Joe and the other IEP students dedicate Monday through Friday 8am to 1pm on learning the English language and all of its components. I have high respect and appreciation for what they do for I know it must be so much more difficult than what I do at TCU even though I consider what I do challenging a lot of the time. Because I am a Speech-language Pathology major I have learned a lot about the acquisition of learning a language. There is something known as the Critical Age Hypothesis which essentially states that we are biologically better able to learn language before we reach a certain (before puberty) and after that critical period has passed learning language because increasingly difficult. I guess this makes sense when I look back and realize I took four years of French in high school and can pretty much only say bonjour and au revoir. Any way, back to Joe, given this information about learning language I find it fascinating how dedicated he is to learning English. I know that there are people all over the world who learn languages at later ages but it is scientifically proven to be a challenging task. The idea that Joe and the IEP students give up everything familiar to them to learn a whole new way of life is amazing to me. I think that Joe is so smart and it really has been a rewarding experience getting to know him.

Joe always tells me that he thinks I am a genius and am really smart which always brings a smile to my face. When he was given the assignment he was told that he would be meeting with an honors student to speak in English with a native speaker. I guess the honors thing makes him thing I am a genius but hey I like the complement. I would say that Joe and I have formed a friendship through this experience and I am very appreciative for that. I had no idea how much both Joe and I would benefit from talking to each other but it clearly has. Talking with Joe has been so funny, awkward and all together rewarding. I feel like this experience has allowed me to gain a global perspective of humor and another culture which is far beyond what I expected to get. Even though there are challenges with this assignment in terms of communication I believe it should continue to be a part of this class!

I Can't Believe the Semester is Over! What I've Learned (part 4)

Well as cliché as it sounds, my title says it all. I really cannot believe that the semester is coming to an end. Each day passes quicker than the last and now its already December?! This is the part where I wish I could pull out my universal remote and click pause. But obviously that can’t happen and the best I can do is look and back and try to have a meaningful reflection on what I have learned this semester at TCU.

I guess first and foremost the biggest news I have been enlightened with is that I will be graduating next December 2014.  I really have no idea where the last three years have gone but everything is starting to get REALLY real. This next semester is going to be my last Spring semester as an undergrad. Don’t worry though, I have to go to Grad school so I won’t be missing out on the fun for too long. Aside from my sarcasm I am being completely honest when I say that I have grown so much this semester, more so than I ever have before. For starters, I feel so much older than I did last year. I know it might sound weird but living off campus has been a strange sense of freedom that I never knew existed. Being responsible for bills, cleaning, and feeding myself is a lot more challenging than it seems. I’ve been so fortunate for so long to live a life where things were readily taken care of for me. Even though it makes my life a little more stressful I really don’t mind these new found responsibilities in my life. The feeling of independence gets bigger each passing semester, and it really is crazy to think that a year from now I will be a college graduate.

My classes this semester have proven to be some of the best I’ve been in thus far. This semester was my first opportunity to give therapy as a student clinician for speech-language pathology. It was such a fun experience and it really makes me look forward to the next semesters The semesters get better and better because I get to do more of what I am interested and less of core credit. I finished my natural science credit with the biology class that I took. I was kind of worried about the class at the beginning of the year but I ended up doing well and actually enjoying the course. I am almost done with my psychology minor and my class this semester Psychology of Personality marks the second to last class I need to take to fulfill the minor. Psychology of Personality was such an interesting course and I really believe I have learned more about myself than I ever have before. Literature and Civilizations turned out to be a great experience. I honestly had no idea what to expect when enrolling in the class but as it draws to an end I would definitely recommend it to any honors student. I never thought I could learn so much about something I thought I already knew. Learning about humor was so fun and interesting! I hope that my next two semesters can be as rewarding as this one has.

This is the first semester where I am not nervous or anxious about finals week. I only have two finals to take and they are well spaced a part. I am looking forward to finishing my tests and heading home to Chicago for the holidays. This fall semester might not have been the best football season at TCU but it has been one of the best academic seasons for myself. I hope that the time slows down for the next two semesters because I am having a hard time believing that I’m almost done with college as an undergraduate. I wish everyone a great end to finals and a wonderful holiday season. Thanks Dr. Williams for a great semester in Lit and Civ!

My 5th Meeting With Joe. Meeting a New Guest

When I arrived at Union Grounds last Thursday I saw Joe sitting at a table with another guy. Joe and I said our hellos and then he introduced me to one of his classmates named Harrison. Harrison was about to leave but I insisted on him staying and joining in my conversations with Joe. I learned that Harrison is also and IEP student which is where he met Joe. Harrison is from China and has been in the program at TCU for about a year. It was really a great experience learning about him and his culture and tying everything together in conversation. There were points where Joe and Harrison would talk and poke fun at each other and it was quite entertaining for me to sit and watch. It was clear that each guy was trying to one up the other person with a witty remark. I have to say I think Joe won!

Since our meeting was before the Thanksgiving break, I decided it was a good topic to bring up and discuss with Joe. As silly as it sounds, it is weird to think that other countries don’t celebrate Thanksgiving like we do in the United States. Now don’t get me wrong, I know why they wouldn’t celebrate the holiday anywhere but the United States, but sometimes its hard to think outside of my own culture. It never really struck me what it would be like to stay at TCU during the holiday break because I’ve always gone home and spent time with family. Talking to Joe and Harrison about what they during that time made me realize how different our college experiences are. Coming from Chicago I can say that I have a good idea what it is like to miss home and family, but then when I think about what Joe and other IEP students do, it changes my perspective a bit. Joe’s family is half way around the world and he doesn’t get to see them until he leaves TCU permanently this winter. It is clear that Joe and the other IEP students have great dedication to what they are doing because they give up what is familiar and completely immerse themselves in another culture. Joe explained to me how is father works out of Dallas even though his mother and the majority of his family live in Japan. During the Thanksgiving break he said he would probably go spend time with his father. I’m not sure how common it is for IEP students to have family near by but I am guessing it is rare.  

Joe, Harrison, and I talked a lot about what are plans are over winter break and for the next semester. Joe explained to me that he is leaving TCU in December and he will graduate from college in April when he is back in Japan. I was shocked to find out how soon he was graduating! The schooling times work a little differently over in Japan but Joe explained he was not that excited to graduate because it means he has to get a job right away. I guess college life is fun universally. I did happen to ask Joe about his college experience in Japan versus his college experience in the United States and he informed me that it is much more strict and serious in the United States. He also said he likes it a lot over here which is good, because who wouldn’t love TCU?!

An exciting event that occurred at our fifth meeting was Joe and I became Facebook friends! I can’t really understand anything on his Facebook page, but hey I’m becoming more culturally aware! It was really entertaining having a conversation with both Joe and Harrison. I felt like the communication barrier increased a little bit and there were some issues with getting our points across but that made the experience all the better. My next meeting with Joe will be bittersweet because I will get to say goodbye to him before the holidays but it will probably be the last time I see him since he is leaving for Japan after finals.

Fourth Meeting with Joe

My fourth meeting with Joe proved to be one of the most entertaining ones yet. I think it was a great learning experience for both of us.  We have now gotten to a point where we are comfortable talking to each other without there being as many pauses and language barriers. Joe can get when I don’t understand what he is saying and I am the same way. We both try to re word what we tell each other to make things as easy as possible to understand. I am truly enjoying each of these meetings.  At this particular meeting, Joe had a lot of questions for me regarding American culture. They happened to be really funny and we were both laughing in the middle of Union Grounds. I wonder what the people around us thought.

As we’re sitting at the table Joe puts on a serious face and says, “Danielle, I have a question for you” I responded “yeah what’s up?” in response Joe said “Why do American boys not use Umbrellas?” I sat there staring at him wondering what to say in response. I never really thought about that kind of thing so here he is eager for my answer and I’m having what I like to call “word salad” trying to give my explanation. Before I could continue my confusing answer Joe explained that he was carrying an umbrella around campus the other day and was confused when people were giving him strange looks. He thought everyone was crazy not for having one, “in Japan, guys use umbrellas, we don’t like getting wet.”  I have to say that is a valid point. The conclusion I came to in response to Joe’s question was that I don’t think guys around TCU think too much about carrying and umbrella around with them. I know I have an umbrella and I have it 1. To keep me dry and 2. As a cute accessory to my rain gear (cheesy I know). Guys don’t think too much about the second one and I’m sure they just believe a hooded sweatshirt will suffice. Any guy that has a better explanation please feel free to leave a comment and elaborate, maybe I can give Joe a better answer at our next meeting.

After that whole situation got semi figured out, Joe again asked me another question. “Danielle, do you have a boyfriend?” This question took me a little more by surprise. I answered him yes, and he looked happy with my answer “good, I want to know what Americans do on dates!” I guess I knew that different cultures have different ways of courtship but it never really crossed my mind. I explained to Joe that typical American dates included things like dinners, movies, trips to the zoo, going out downtown, and other similar activities. I asked Joe the same question and he said that in Japan people like to karaoke on dates and watch movies.  Sounds fun to me! He said people didn’t go to dinner and out to eat as much, which I found surprising because that seems to be one of the most popular things to do on a date here in the United States.

I think one of the best questions Joe asked me was “Danielle, do you like pizza?” I wanted to responded with “uhh YESSSS” but I knew that he would probably not understand my obsession with pizza. So I responded with an ecstatic “yes!”  I asked Joe if he liked pizza and he said he loved it but he explained how expensive it was in Japan. I was curious to how expensive it really was so Joe pulled up this picture of a comparison diagram between what you can get in Japan and America for the same price. For the price of about thirty American dollars you can get one pizza in Japan. I was shocked and realized I never could live in Japan. But on a serious note, I was shocked and Joe explained that although he likes pizza a lot its something people don’t eat a lot in Japan because it is so expensive.

This fourth meeting with Joe was by far one of the best. I learned so much more about him and his Japanese culture than I have at any of our other meetings. Likewise, I think that Joe had a lot of his questions answered about American culture. I can’t wait to see what the next meeting has in store!

What I've Learned Thus Far

Well here I am mid November, trying to come to terms with where all the time has gone. Each semester that passes by seems to be going quicker than the last. I have to say though, this semester has taught me a lot.

They say that classes are supposed to get more difficult with each semester. While I do believe there is some truth to this statement, I would have to say that overall it is not this way for me. When I was a freshman at TCU I was taking a plethora of classes that did not pertain to anything that I wanted to do with my life. I merely took these classes to earn core credit. However, I should put a disclaimer here, even though some of the classes I have taken don’t apply to my future career, there have been ones that have been incredibly rewarding. For the most part though, I find it harder to enjoy a class that has little do with my major or natural interests. For example, Spanish. It’s a great class and I wish I had it in me to still have the ability to learn a language, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that ship has sailed. There have been other classes though, such as this class (lit and Civ) that has been surprisingly enjoyable. I never thought that I would take a class that would allow me to study the topic of humor so widely. I know that I am guilty of looking at the world through an ethnocentric point of view, and this class has really allowed me to see humor in a whole new light. Studying how other people perceive humor and how humor has developed over time is such an interesting topic. I feel that this class has allowed me to stop and as they say “smell the roses” and take in everything that this class has to offer. One thing in particular that has stood out for me in this class is the conversational partner project. I really look forward to meeting with my partner, Joe, every week. It has been such a great experience talking with him and learning things I would have never even thought out before. This class has allowed me to become more culturally aware of humor.

My other classes this semester have been positive experiences as well. I am pleased to say that I do not have any classes or teachers that make me dread going to class. One class that I was worried about this semester was Biology, because it had been a long time since I have last taken a biology class. To my surprise it hasn’t been a problem at all and I actually enjoy going to the class. I did not forget as much as I thought I would have from high school. The classes I am taking for my Speech-Language Pathology major are also going quite well this semester. I have been able to work directly with a client, which is beyond rewarding. This past weekend I went home to Chicago to go to a convention for my major. The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) was having their annual convention in the city, and I thought that it would be great opportunity to be able to learn more about my major and look at graduate school programs. After going to the convention I realized that this decision was one of the best I have made my entire time at TCU. I now feel like I am for sure in the right place with what I want to do. I know that I have a lot ahead of me in the next two semesters before I graduate but it will be a positive journey. I have a lot of preparation for grad school and it makes me nervous to think about all the aspects involved with getting accepted into a school. After talking with many different universities and admission staff I now know the tasks I need to accomplish to get these things done. I have learned so much this semester about what I need to do to get myself where I want to be in the future and I am truly looking forward to seeing how all of it will play out. I know that along the way there are still going to be challenges but I keep telling myself that the outcomes will far outweigh all the stress and work that is involved with the process.