1). I am currently studying abroad in Rome this semester.
English is obviously my first language and before I came here, I knew no Italian.
Every time I walked into a restaurant or tried to order a croissant at a coffee
shop in Italian, I failed in the beginning. It is hard to relearn something
that comes so natural, and even when I got one thing down, they would ask me
something I wouldn’t understand, and I would just stand there like a stupid
American and shrug. I have failed multiple times throughout the semester and
still continue to fail on occasion even though I know how to speak basic
Italian now.
2). Luckily most people speak some English or I could use nonverbal
to point so I always figure it out, but it was extremely frustrating in the
beginning to not be able to communicate with anyone around me. I learned to be
patient and realize I am the visitor in their country. It is important to not
adopt the ethnocentric attitude that everyone should speak English, so I always
try Italian first (even if I am horrible at it), and if they speak back in
English, then it is okay. As I mentioned before, I have also learned how to
better communicate with nonverbals so that when there is a linguistic barrier,
I can work around it.
3). Failure is definitely hard. Even though this seems like
it is on a small scale, it is extremely discouraging to feel like an outsider
where you live. I have been here for four months now, and obviously it is a lot
easier now, but it was definitely difficult at times when I would try and it
wouldn’t come out right. I am a perfectionist and don’t want to offend anyone,
so I want to learn the language and become culturally diverse. I would say this
class has helped with risk taking in some ways and that I am more accepting of
failure. It has taught me to think of it more as a learning tool.
Hey Michelle,
ReplyDeleteStudying abroad in Rome must be a once in a lifetime experience. Learning a new language as an adult is a very challenging thing to do. My best advice is that you try not to focus on feeling like an outsider as you are actually doing something that lots of people only dream of. Good job with the assignment.
Below is my link to view my celebrating failure assignment:
http://felixalfaroent3003.blogspot.com/2016/04/celebrating-failure.html
Hi Michelle. I really like your post. I think it is very different and unique. I loved how you brought up language and studying abroad in Rome, and related it to this topic. Here is the link to my post if you want to read it: http://minaaomar.blogspot.com/2016/04/celebrating-failure.html
ReplyDelete