Introduction Vesa Nuorva

My name is Vesa Nuorva and I work as Principal Lecturer and Head of the Department of Humanities and Education at Centria since the year 2004. I have done my PhD in Theology and before coming to Centria I have worked as pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, including ten years in Turku Cathedral, the most famous church builing of Finland. After coming to Centria I have done the degree of M. Soc. Sc.
Our degree program is called community educator because our students will be mostly work as youth workers in the church, municipalities and in NGO's. We emphasize the meaning of internationalization, globalization and multiculturalism in our education. Many students at our degree program like to go to internships abroad but we have also possibilities to study-exchange in Spain, South-Korea and Japan.
During my studies in 1970's I had not possibilities to go to exchange or internships. When I was 29 years I got a scholarship of cultural exchange between Spain and Finland. I was half a year in Salamanca in order to collect material for my PhD. It was a great experience. During my period in Centria I have been in teacher-exchange in Italy, Nepal and Vietnam.

Home-University of Lodz

1. In what country and University are you studying? /

Where are you doing your internship?

University of Lodz.  Fujitsu, Lodz

2. In what Study program are you studying at Centria?

I study Information Technology.

3. What are the courses like at the host University? or What has your work placement been like?

There are lots of courses to choose. As am an exchange student, you are allowed to choose courses from all the faculties (but most from your own faculty).

4. Describe the study culture? / What is the corporate culture like?

Teachers are quite helpful. I feel welcome in Poland.

5. What is your study group like?

There was no certain group to join, and I could choose most of the courses according to my interest.

Also, there were different types, of course, I could choose. I had a lecture with about 200 students in the auditorium. Also, I had a one-to-one tutorial course (only lecturer and me). However, I had the most course with about 10 students.

I had courses with exchange students only if the course was designed for exchange programs, and I had the rest of course with local students.

6. Please describe what the everyday life is like in your host country? What do you like in particular?

There are supermarkets, restaurants, cafe, pub, library around dorm so I spent most of my time on campus. Also, the dorm is quite close to the faculty (less than 10 mins by walking) so I could sleep more in the morning.

7. What has been challenging? Why? 

I found a part-time internship at Fujitsu, Lodz as a software developer in the second semester so I was very busy. I sometimes didn’t have enough time to sleep even. 

8. What has been the highlight of your exchange so far?

Thanks to the exchange studies and internship, I am more confident about my future now. I improved both English and IT skills.

Cultural bump

For me, very interesting and unusual situation was with rugby in the UK. I heard that people love this game in the UK but I didn’t expect that they are so crazy about this game, especially in Cardiff. They are so proud of their team. Fans are crazy; it was one moment in the university when the teacher said to us that “Rugby is a religion for us”. I was so shocked about this and firstly I didn’t believe but then when I visited the game of Wales’s vs Argentina, I saw that this is really a religion for them; the places at the stadium were all taken. 

For people, fans its very special day when they have games because at this moment they can relax, enjoy their time with a friend or with family, they unite and go together to watch a game. It’s very hard to describe what I am writing about. You should see it in a real life and during this moment you will have goosebumps. To compare with my culture, I have seen this before. We don’t have so much support at the stadiums but in the UK, you can see it with every team, it doesn’t matter what is the level of this team.

But on the other hand there are can be a lot of fight with a drunk people, you have to be very careful. There are a lot of people in the streets and you don’t know what to expect. Especially when they have SIX Nations, this is a very attractive tournament, there are thousands of people and each of them supports their team, they can fight or do stupid things.

From my point of view before going abroad you have to learn more about the host country and learn their cultural traditions. You should know what to say, what to do, what are the rules of the culture you have to follow. Communication with people from other culture is very important, you can explore new things and in some way, you can save your life or do you journey more attractive.

In conclusion, it’s difficult for me to talk about episodes that confused me because I always travel a lot and for me, it was not a new experience in an exchange program. The UK and my culture are pretty similar so I was in comfort zone but this experience was amazing, I achieve all my goals and I am so happy that I was there. Hope to do it again.

Cultural dimensions

First of all, I would like to say some words about my exchange experience in the UK. It was an amazing exchange for me, I spent almost 1 year in the UK from 2016-2017. My goal was to go to the UK and try to study there because the UK studying program is one of the best in the world. Also for me was very important to visit the UK and improve my English skills. I met a lot of people and we spent a great time there. I am really missing that time because this experience gave me new knowledge, new adventures, and new friends. One of the most difficult things for me was to get the visa because if you are not EU citizen it’s quite expensive to get the UK visa.

Speaking about culture dimensions I would like to mention Hofstede theory about the United Kingdom. In the UK individualism has a very high impact on your life. You have to be adaptable for everything and be ready for every situation. It means that you have to be a self-confident and communicative person if you want to live in the UK.  As for masculinity in the UK its around 66 points, it means that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner/best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organizational life. You have to “read between the line”- What is said is not always what is meant. To compare. Uncertainty avoidance is the next dimension which has 35 in the UK; this score can show that people are quite happy to wake up not knowing what the day brings. One of the most important things in high Individualist and curious nation is a high level of creativity and a strong need for innovation. Indulgence in the UK has a high score of 69 which means that people possess a positive attitude and have a tendency towards optimism.

These indicators of dimensions are different from my cultures, Russian culture. Power distance in Russian according to Hofstede theory is 93 points, I agree with that because the huge discrepancy between the less and the more powerful people leads to a great importance of status symbols. We don’t have a middle class in Russia, there are only two classes: poor and rich. It’s very difficult situation where people should survive.  Individualism is 39, in a Russian family, friends are extremely important to get along with everyday life’s challenges. You have to respect your family members because they can give you a lot of support.

Studying methods in the UK were very interesting and new to me. It was pretty hard to study there because they have very struggle rules. But there were some new courses for me which gave me a lot of useful information that I haven’t known before. As an example it's digital marketing, in Centria we don’t have this course. Right now I am writing diploma about digital marketing because it’s very exciting and modern area in business structure. It is very hard to find a teacher who can help me write about this field because in Finland it’s new and unexplored area. But all in all the main difference between studying is the level of English, you have to check all the time your grammar in the UK because for them it’s very important to have clear grammar.

Cardiff has surprised me with its “warm” environment; it’s so easy and interesting to live Cardiff. I really like this city, people, area. 

In the end, I would like to mention that this experience was great, this program gave me what I wanted. 

Introduction - Hanna Saukko

Hello!

My name is Hanna Saukko and I am currently studying third year in nursing at Centria University of Applied Sciences in Kokkola. I am originally from Kalajoki and moved to Kokkola about two years ago.

I am going to do 3-month-long intership in Shanghai,China in spring 2018. I chose to go to Shanghai because I have always been interested of Chinese culture.

I want to learn about China's history and culture, meet new people and develop my language skills. I am also interested in getting to know Chinese health care system.

Assingment (2) during exchange - Describe - Interpret - Evaluate

Your time abroad has probably been diversified; with many joyful moments but some periods of difficulty usually pops in. The second assignment is an analysis of a "cultural bump" that you have experienced during your time abroad. In this assignment, you can with time look in more detail into a cultural difference (bump) that hopefully helps you understand it better. The cultural bump doesn't have to be something negative, it can also be a positive norm in the host culture. 

I want you to Describe, Interpret and Evaluate (D-I-E) a situation that you found perhaps unexpected or different to what you are used to. Focus on the different stages, and please separate the post so that you firstly Describe, then Interpret and lastly Evaluate. 

1. DESCRIBE: Think of one episode that you think was unusual/different from a cultural perspective. It doesn't have to be anything negative, it can also be something you really like in the host culture. Describe the object or situation in concrete, observable terms. What happened in the interaction? What was said? What did you see? What did you feel at the moment?

2. INTERPRET: Think of possible explanations (interpretations) for what you observed or experienced. From your cultural perspective, try to explain why you think this situation or experience occurred? Try to find at least 3 different interpretations of the interaction or occurrence. What cultural information have you used to produce these interpretations?  

3. EVALUATE: Evaluate what you observed or experienced. What positive or negative feelings do you have regarding the situation? Consider how you might feel if you were a member of the host culture and held the dominant cultural values and beliefs?

Format: Blog post

Title: D-I-E + name of host country (e.g. D-I-E Venezuela)

Label: D-I-E, your name, country (e.g. D-I-E, Linda Krokfors, Venezuela

Picture: add at least one appropriate picture

Deadline: Do the task as a blog post and post it latest 3 months after the start of your exchange.

Peer commenting: Comment on at least two other posts

Please make a thorough post, writing with full sentences and with thought. Separate Describe, Interpret and Evaluate, so that you write about them in different sections. Read other students posts as well and comment.

Good luck!

Introduction - Reetta Kangas

Hello! My name is Reetta. I'm a 2nd year Social services student at Centria in Kokkola. 

I'm going on an exchange to Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. It's in Zwolle, The Netherlands. There is a Children and Media minor that I'm going to do. I'm very excited to see what studying is like in the Netherlands, and all the things the program will teach me.

 
I'm originally from Pyhäjoki but have lived in Kokkola since August 2016. Before that I lived in Ireland for 7 months, working as an Au pair. I have also spent two summers at Åland. I love adventures, and even though living far from home is scary, it's also very rewarding.

I hope to learn many things about children and media while I'm in The Netherlands. I chose a Drama and Improvisation course that I'm honestly dreading, but I hope it will teach me a lot. It's something that will take me far from my comfort zone. I'm also excited to learn more about myself and the Dutch culture, and of course I want to improve my English speaking skills.

Pre-assingnment for session on 13.12.2017 (Pre-departure training, part 2)

Dear students,

Welcome to the pre-departure training, part 2, on Wednesday 13.12 from 9:00-13:00 in Pauha 1.

We will focus in this session in the upcoming exchange. You will meet other students who have been studying abroad. We will seek to understand what intercultural development and global competence really is so that you can integrate and be effective in the new environment.
The material for the class can be found here: Pre-departure trainining material 13 December 2018

Pre-assignment for 13.12.2017

You have a pre-assignment related to the Development model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Please watch the video before hand, so you understand what it is all about, and do the assignment before class. We will go through the assignment in class.

You can, alongside, read this material "Strategies for developing intercultural competence" from R. Michael Page, Maximizing study abroad. (Found also in Optima).  

The video and material goes through the theory, stage by stage and gives examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSEJAZLMS64

Crosscultural Teaching -- Ethnocentrism and Ethnorelativism www.youtube.com This explains Bennett's stages of intercultural sensitivity.

To do before class:

1. Please reflect upon every stage of the intercultural sensitivity model. 

      What thoughts and reflections does a person have when she/he experiences something new from a cultural aspect, when she/he is in the a. denial stage, b. defense stage  c. minimization stage, d. acceptance stage, e. adaptation stage and e. integration? 
      Explain how a person feels, reacts or thinks in all the different stages, when experiencing a cultural difference.

2. In what stage are you, right now?

3. Why do we need to be culturally competent?

Write down notes for yourself, so that you can discuss the theory, the stages and your own perspective in class.

Learning objective: 

Understanding what intercultural sensitivity is and understanding the intercultural sensitivity model. 

Understanding the different stages.

Self-assessment and reflection of the different stages - recognizing in what stage you are in this model.

Understanding why intercultural competence and intercultural sensitivity is useful.