- Language barrier
- Sickness
- Technology problems (malfunction, not accessible, etc)
- Not getting along with host family
- Culture-shock
- Where to find a toilet (and other sanitary issues)
- Finding participants
- Getting participants to talk.. or to stop talking
And many more, mentioned today in class, and I'm sure many others that were not. We later broke off into groups to discuss specific problems/discussion questions that were thought of by classmates. The questions my group focused on was "what if we don't get along with our host family, no matter how hard we try?"
I was lucky enough to be in a group that had two individuals who had previously served missions for our church, and had therefore lived with companions with whom they served, taught, ate, walked, etc. together 24/7. I asked them what they did in situations in which they didn't get along with a companion. My husband (one of the group members) said that communication was key, and if there was an issue, it needed to be resolved in order to move forward. We then talked about the problem more specifically, trying to define what "not getting along" meant. Is it a conflict of beliefs? Misinterpretation? Lack of quality time?
What we, as a group, decided might be helpful in this problem is:
- Communication - if there is a serious problem, have a heart-to-heart! But don't be rude or offensive.
- Perception/Perspective- try to learn more about and understand cultural differences, that's part of the reason you're there! There are going to be differences in reactions, beliefs, humor, etc. that will become apparent during your experience. If you can realize that what you perceive isn't really what is trying to be communicated, then that will help (don't be offended easily). It's a two-way street; what are things that you are doing/saying that may be the norm to you, but come off as offensive in other situations/cultures?
- Quality Time- We talked about how some students spend time with their host family to simply fulfill a quota they had set for themselves ("I need to spend an hour a day with my host family because I'm supposed to/I feel obligated to/etc.) I brought this up in the larger discussion, and our teacher, Ashley, related it to being brought cookies from a church group, which always have an undertone of "we don't see you as much as we would like," or "something is wrong in your life," etc. What kind of messages are we sending out with time spent because of obligation? Spend time with your host family because you are GENUINELY interested and want to form a relationship with them.
*NOTE* in the above list, it was intended to be written from me to me, I'm not trying to lecture anyone/give advice.
This particular problem was interesting to me because I am going to be very dependent on my host family when it comes to having them as a base, and meeting other families that I will be observing and working with.
When I think about these things, it helps me to realize that there are going to be things that are unanticipated, for which I am unprepared. How can I better prepare myself to "roll with the punches?" How can I make my project, and myself, more resilient to unexpected problems? I suppose I need to be confident, but not cocky. Have a passion for my subject/project (as Mark Zuckerberg told us at a forum last week). I should be determined to be successful, yet at the same time, be alright with failing. That last one seems to be contradictory, but it is necessary. I want to feel confident and feel like I can succeed, but I also want to be able to handle "a flop," as Ashley put it.
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