Preparing for Interviews

“I see that you traveled to Ireland and Scotland when you were a student at Henderson State University. How does this experience make you a better candidate for this job/program?”

What I've learned is most important about studying abroad is the importance of flexibility. Whether it be cultural differences, schedule changes, or just annoying companions, the best thing a person can be is flexible. Roll with the punches and problem solve. If you find out you can't make it to a certain event, what will you do instead? The weather was supposed to be warm and sunny, now it is rainy and cold. What do you do? Acquiring this skill transfers into your everyday life, especially your career.

Planning ahead, time management, and being open minded are other skills that I've been able to cultivate while abroad. It is vital to research the place you are going to decide what to pack, what to do, and how to act. Like the saying goes, "Failure to plan is planning to fail." You should always know what you are getting into so that you have room for flexibility.

Time management is crucial, especially on a trip as packed as this one was. You need to allocate your time wisely. Having your time well managed is also a sign of respect.

Keeping your mind open is the only way to survive cultures abroad. They live differently than us and that is just fine. Don't be the arrogant American and refuse to embrace the local environment. The problem with most people is that they take everything too personally. It is not always about you. Step out of your comfort zone every once and while. You never know what you might learn about yourself!

Scotland vs America, who will win?

Luckily for me, English is a shared trait between Scotland and America. Given the different accents and slang terms, I still managed to understand what people were saying. I noticed that the Scottish dressed similarly with Americans and ate similar cuisine (considering all those burgers we had on the trip). They were also quite friendly and welcoming of visitors.

However, there were a few differences that really stuck out to me. Geographically speaking, Scotland is considerably a smaller landmass compared to the U.S. and they are not as ethnically diverse.

One main difference I noticed between Scotland and the U.S. (really any country other than the U.S.) is how common it is to travel abroad. As we've discussed in previous posts, many Americans do not find it a priority to travel to different countries. Most citizens in the UK have traveled at least once to a foreign country if not more.

Another contrast between cultures I noticed was regarding the importance of being close to family. I talked to a few locals while in Scotland and there seemed to be a pattern of family members living in not only different cities, but completely different countries. I found this odd coming from a culture that values being close to family, especially the nuclear family.

The Scottish did not seem very religious which felt weird being a habitant of the Bible Belt. Many of the churches were abandoned and sold to house businesses.

Intercultural Communication

The company my father works for is owned by an investment group based in Europe. One summer, the President of the investment group (who is French) sent his 14 year old son to America to visit the company my dad works for. Being the creative problem solver that my dad is, he volunteered my 15 year old brother and I to hang out with the poor kid who was going to be stuck with adults all day.

                                                         

My brother, Daniel, and I were taking French I at the time so we were excited to try out the basics of the language we had learned. Luckily, Alexi spoke English. I wish I had known more about the French culture other than how to say hello so I could have asked more questions. He did show us some really cool dance moves!

This experience helped me realize how important intercultural communication is. You never know who your life will allow you to cross paths with so it is best to be able to effectively communicate with someone different than you. The Intercultural Communications article tells about people who have even made it their job to help others be more prepared for communication across borders.

                                                           

I remember watching Slumdog Millionaire in high school and being so moved by the movie. It takes place in India as Jamal, the main character, is a contestant on the Indian Who Wants to be a Millionaire? It a great movie about crossing cultures. Jamal has to answer questions about American and European culture and the movie shows how he knows those answers.

The Power of Movies article tells of the different ways movies can reflect culture, both positive and negative. One of the features was that movies can "can allow us to 'experience' other cultures. Another feature was to "speak to and evoke emotion." A third was "give us permission to talk about sensitive and controversial issues."

I think that Slumdog allows the viewer to experience these three features about movies on culture. I'm sure that most Americans were unaware of the way the slums of India operate before this movie. My friends and I were all shocked at the poverty. This movie evoked great emotion! There were several scenes that were difficult to watch, but I kept rooting for Jamal and hoped he would win. A feature I found very important was that this movie allowed us to talk about the themes of poverty, violence, and corruption in third world countries.

Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century

This week's blog assessment asked us to discuss our 21st Century skills, and I couldn't help but think of the Disney movie, "Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century."

Zenon was banished to Earth after causing commotion on the space station she lived on. Of course being from another "planet" she was initially tagged "weird" and avoided. While it may seem a tad silly, this movie actually creates a great scenario for cultural awareness. 

Two boys from school, Greg and Andrew, eventually befriend poor Zenon after they all decide to listen and get to know each other. As the article, Cultural Awareness in the Workplace states, one of the key components of creating a welcoming work environment is educating yourself about the backgrounds of your fellow employees. You can then use your knowledge to help break down cultural barriers. 

Our assessment also asked us to discuss the skills we would need in our respective fields.

Being a Marketing major, the 21st Century skills that will make me excellent are to be innovative, to communicate effectively, and to be creative. 

As the 21st Century Skills, Education, and Competitiveness Guide states, our economy has changed. The U.S. has made a major shift from providing predominantly manufacturing jobs to being a major service driven economy. 

Marketing is a fast paced, ever changing field. It is important to be innovative to stay ahead of the competition. I also need to be able to use the new innovative technology to not only make my job easier, but to stay relevant. 

Marketing is the communication aspect of the business world. Without it, consumers would not realize they need to buy your product, where to buy it, and for what price. Communication within the workplace is also vital! We all know how frustrating it is when we find ourselves in a group where the leader doesn't know how to communicate. An effective communicator keeps the morale up and tasks on track. 

Creativity is another essential piece of the marketing pie. Employers are looking for people who can think outside the box for ways to separate their company from the competition. 

These skills can be acquired with further education and most importantly experience. Work experience is the best experience to gain these skills, but volunteer work and experience working in groups from school are all great practice on communication and creativity. 

Back to my girl Zenon. She discovers trouble back home and has to come up with an innovative and creative way to save her space station (because no one believes her, of course). 

Like the stellarnarious girl that she is, Zenon saves the day by using her creative, innovative, problem-solving 21st Century skills. 

She said YES!

Our cultural lenses are the glasses we wear when we are deciding how to interpret situations. It elicits the automatic response we have acquired from our environment on what is socially acceptable. If we have lenses that are culturally fluent and understand the differences among groups of people, our interactions will go smoothly. If we can only see the way we think and act, we have a greater chance for misunderstandings and strong emotionally based reactions.

I think the greatest reason Americans avoid traveling abroad is the answer to the question, "Why?" Fear and cost are big contenders, but I think they are more easily overcome than the psychological factor. As Americans, 'we got it good.' We enjoy several amazing liberties that most people do not. For one, we have our freedom. We can say what we want about who we want when we want and not get penalized just for voicing our opinion. We have the opportunity to worship who/what we want and the ability to further our education in the path we so desire.

Other countries do not share these rights and privileges. So, why should people leave? It's like going wedding dress shopping. Once you have found "the one", you stop looking. For most Americans, home is "the one." There is no reason to go looking for something better. After my two trips abroad, I have had people, sounding almost disgusted, asking me why I left in the first place. It was not even a figment of their imagination to WANT to adventure somewhere besides Arkansas. Don't get me wrong, I looooove my home state; it is beautiful! I just have a hunger for traveling. I realize there is a great big world out there ready to be explored. 

But, for most, home is perfect and there is no reason to wander. They are perfectly content sipping their sweet tea in their small town enjoying the beautiful view of the lake. That is just wonderful, just not for me. 

It's a small world, after all!

Have you ever just stopped and considered how connected you are to the people around you?

http://www.sstte.org/6/post/2013/10/session-2-what-is-globalization.html

My mother always told me, "Be careful what you say, you never know who's listening." What she should have ended that statement with was, "because you never know who's related!" I have made the mistake of having a, let's say, strong opinion about someone and voicing said opinion only to realize someone in my audience was a relative of that person. Awkward.

The world is a very small place and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. The 7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon is ridiculous.

Globalization is what makes the world such a small place. When countries interact, pieces of the cultures are spread and become intertwined. Throughout my lifetime, I have seen globalization through the internet, the expansion of imported goods/outsourcing, and my own travels abroad.

The internet has helped make the world a more compact society. Whether its Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you can connect with people from anywhere in the world. How insane is it to know that your video of your dog doing some stupid trick could get a like from someone in Australia? With search engines like Google, information is literally at your fingertips. The possibilities of things you can research is endless.

I have also noticed the expansion of Globalization in the increased imports we buy from other countries. It has become a hot button issue how much we buy from other countries. With the economy being as bad as it has been for the last few years, companies have had to find ways to cut costs. Those ways included outsourcing jobs to countries with cheaper labor and finding companies to buy products from at a cheaper price. 

My own travels have led to my exposure to Globalization. I have been able to see other cultures first hand. I have had to interact with new people, new languages, and new climates. The video World Without Walls, talks about  "McDomination" which I have to say I have participated in. I ate at a McDonalds in New Delhi and Madrid. I hate to admit it because what is the point in traveling if you are going to eat at a McDonalds. Sometimes, though, you just need a taste of home. Because of Globalization, I got to indulge in comforts of home.

I don't see why there are even opponents of Globalization. I think it is a wonderful tool! What's funny is how people want to act like it's a new thing. Like the Globalization 101 article says, Globalization has been around for thousands of years, since the silk and spice trade routes in Asia during the Middle Ages. It is far from being a new idea. 

We are completely different, but ya'll are the same.

I took this from my first study abroad trip. The students there created this Welcome sign from petals of flowers.

You do say ya'll, right?

Popular media has told me that if you are Irish, you are typically red headed, live on a rural mountainside, wear green bulky sweaters, and have seen at least one leprechaun in your life.

That is the issue with popular media. People more often than not subject entire heterogeneous groups of people into a homogenous stereotype. I find that we, as Americans, have difficulty with seeing anything past ourselves. If it doesn't affect us, we tend to just ignore it. We like to group an entire country into one type of culture. It seems legit because those countries are so foreign to us and we usually only have a limited amount of background to judge it by. But, let's look at it from another perspective.

Agree or disagree-- All Americans drink sweet tea. All Americans say "ya'll." All Americans drive two door pickup trucks.

I'm sure you are shaking your head right now, thinking, "No. All Americans do not do such things. We are different."

Even in our little state of Arkansas we share different regions that have their own cultures. There are even five very distinct regions of Arkansas: southwest, southeast, northwest, northeast, and central. So, if Arkansas can host five very different cultures, don''t you think Ireland or anywhere else for that matter could have that many or more?

As described in the Curiosity Group's article, the majority of Americans are in the Parochial stage where they think "my way is the only way." It goes along with the saying, "Ignorance is bliss." Sure, ignorance can be bliss until you lose your company thousands of dollars because you have greatly offended your client because of a cultural faux-paus.

Or, as described in the Interculturalism Matters article, we only know the tip of the cultural iceberg. We can list what language that country uses, the food they eat, and any major festivals they celebrate. But what does they really tell you? Knowing those facts alone, could you survive in any country of the world? It is critical to know more. You need to know what they believe in, how they live out their day to day lives, and what pushes them to act the way they act.