Study Abroad Prep & Research: Journal/Blog 1: Reflection and History

Journal (Expressive):

After completing the learning style survey, I learned a number of things about myself that I had not realized before. For instance, I had a very high visual learning score. For the most part, I had not really realized just how dependent I am on visual guides, directions and handouts, and videos in terms of learning. Especially, when reflecting on how I take notes and the types of lectures I tend to get the most information from, I realized just how important visual learning has been throughout my life. My score also indicated a bias towards a reflective response time. This does not come as a surprise, as I have always been prone to hesitate before jumping into a situation. I cannot help but wonder how these factors will come into play when I begin studying abroad.

I also received a high score in the introvert category. This definitely did not surprise me. I prefer to learn on my own and I tend to get wrapped up in my thoughts and I have a hard time connecting to others, especially over the course of the last few years. I can curious to see if going abroad will help me to open up and be more extroverted, or if the experience will prompt me to more readily shy away from social interactions.

For my cultural learning strategies, I noticed that, for the pre-departure section (specifically on strategies to use in a culturally different context), I noticed that I am more inclined to want to understand why and how people across cultures hold certain views. Rather than being upset by a generalization someone has of my culture, I tend to want to understand and be aware of their own context when thinking about why they may have that opinion. In general, I have always been taught that people, no matter where they are from and how close they are to you, will not always agree with you on everything. The concept works in reverse. In short, I strive to understand people on an individual basis and take their worldview into account before judging or arguing with them.

In terms of the language strategy inventory, I realized that, when learning a language in general, I tend to focus on broader rules and aspects first and narrow my focus as the concepts become more and more specific. I also am more inclined to try to get the gist of what is said or written, rather than get caught up on minor details. I believe that this innate strategy that I use will be helpful when navigating a country that uses a language that I am familiar with, but not fluent in.

Of the stress factors discussed in the text, I feel that my main concerns, or sources of stress, will be language and visibility. For the most part, I am better at reading and writing that I am at speaking another language, so being forced to speak to people within my host country, while rewarding in the long run, will definitely bring the most stress. Visibility is another concern of mine. Since I like to keep to myself, for the most part, I am worried about drawing attention to myself while abroad.

Blog: China/Japan History

Chinese civilization can be traced back, both through traditional history and archaeologically, to the Shang dynasty some four thousand years ago. Its ancient history was marked by “prolonged epochs of peace occasionally convulsed by sudden breakup” as well as “conflict either internally or with outsiders” (Harper 936). From 221 B.C. all the way until 1921 A.D., the Imperial Chinese period saw the rise and fall of emperors, as well as “times of peace, then reformed after rebellions and conquests” when power shifted between leaders (“The History of China”). Its capital of Beijing has been a “political center since 1267” and has been the “permanent capital city since the third Ming emperor restored the city as the imperial seat” (“Beijing). From the beginning, China has been a cultural and historical powerhouse, but the nineteenth century was marked by major struggles. From the Boxer Rebellion to the Opium Wars, China was in constant struggle with Western powers, most notably Great Britain. Unfortunately, China’s “relative isolation from the outside world made possible over the centuries the flowering and refinement of the Chinese culture, but it also left China ill prepared to cope with that world when […] it was confronted by technologically superior foreign nations” (China). The twentieth century marked a turning point for China in terms of its place on the world stage. After Chairman Mao Zedong gained power in 1949, China began the transition from a Capitalist country to a Communist one. This reform, which China was not equipped to undertake, placed a heavy burden on the working class and extreme famine and economic struggles weakened the nation. An “enduring legacy, experts say, is the obsession of today’s rulers with stability and political control” (“The Cultural Revolution”). Now, China is one of the most powerful nations in the world and has retained its rich and thriving culture for millennia.

Much like China, Japan boasts a long and rich history. The earliest civilization in Japan is referred to as the Jōmon period, a reference to the “cord markings present in pottery from the era” (“Ancient Japan to 1185”). Much of Japan’s early history was heavily influenced by both China and Korea, and many of these influences can be seen today. For example, “Buddhism flourished in Japan by 710,” and the capital city of Nara “was built using the Chinese grid system” (Milner 820). One of the highest points of cultural history was during the Heian period, a “relatively long period of peace and political strength lasting nearly 400 years, until 1185” (“Heian Period (794–1185)”). During this period, literary works, such as The Tale of Genji were written and continue to be influential in the present. Perhaps the most well-known period in Japanese history is the warring states period; a one-hundred-year period of civil war between regional rulers and a time we associate with the samurai. After unification under Tokugawa Ieyasu, the current capital, Tokyo, “originally called Edo, was established in 1603. As the center of politics and culture in Japan, Edo grew into a huge city with a population of over a million by the mid-eighteenth century” and continues to be a growing economic center (“Tokyo’s History, Geography, and Population”). In time, the beginning of the twentieth century would see a newly-industrialized Japan enter the world stage as a powerful Eastern nation. The conflict between the United States and Japan during World War II is one of the most well-known struggles in history, from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and “approximately 120,000 civilians died as a result of the two blasts” (World War II in the Pacific”). Despite this and American military occupation of Japan through the 1950’s, the United States and Japan are close allies today.