Location: CIES Lounge
1) What did you learn and share with your conversation partner(s)?
Today was extremely educational for me. I shared my opinion on common U.S. values for choosing a spouse and about the racial diversity of my country. I learned about the various cultural/linguistic divides of China, and I learned about how many African names are chosen, particularly in French-speaking countries of West Africa.
2) How did the CP session inform your awareness of other cultures?
I was not exactly aware of Mandarin's geographic coverage and how universal it is to most Chinese. In West Africa, I did not realize that many Africans are given Arabic/Muslim names although they may not be Muslims. Additionally, it seems that there is a strong connection between the French-speaking countries of West Africa, but at the same time, they do not define themselves by this colonizing language.
3) How did the CP session inform your awareness of your culture?
I considered the values that are embedded in romantic partnerships in my country, particularly empathy and similar life goals. I also discussed the concept of a "melting pot" vs. a "tossed salad" with my partner from Burkina Faso. He was very curious as to how I recognize an American and who I consider an American based on appearance if they can be of any ethnicity. I believe that that's the beauty of our culture.
4) How could you apply what you learned to your teaching practice?
The idioms used to describe America demographic make-up brings up extremely interesting discussions with people of more homogenous countries. I also hope to show the regional divides of the country and its history of colonization by Great Britain to show how the language has been affected.
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