D-I-E Poland

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

 

1. DESCRIBE:

  

In my exchange period, there's no such a situation that confused me. However I will tell a story that I find it quite interesting and a little bit weird at first. As we all know, the World cup was held on last summer , my friends and I went to the city center to watch the matches. And funny story when I was preparing to come back home, 1 Polish guy looked at me and said shit words, his crew also glanced at me and show their dirty finger.
I just didn't get it at all and my friends told me to be back, dont care about that bull***t. Then I left because the match also ended, suddenly I met an old man, I think he's Polish cause he came into me and spoke a lot in Polish with happy mood, like he's so exited to meet me. After that he made a handshake with me and left, didnt forget saying goodbye to me.
And then I was really confused what happened.

 

 2. INTERPRET:

Firstly, when the young crew seem hate me, I thought they're just racists. Or maybe because Poland lost that match to Japan so they hate any Asian guys. However when the old man come, I was in a crying state.
I just smiled after the old man leaving. Finally, when I met my Polish friend, she explained anything. It's mainly because I was wearing a Polish football team scarf but there're actually  2 teams in my city so the old man is fan of the team whose scarf I wore and the young boys are the fan of the other team :> 

 

3. EVALUATE:

Eventually, I think that people there just too crazy about football. They love the sport so much that sometimes too overreacting but that's also very cute in some angle, they show their feeling like a kid, so emotional and naturally.
If I was a member of the host, I'll notice the newcomers about this because it might be a fight if you cant control your temper. Anyway, it's unforgettable memory.

Letter home - Quan Hoang

1. In what country and University are you studying? /
Where are you doing your internship?

- I was going exchange in university of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.

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

- I'm an IT student in Centria from Autumn 2016.

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

-The courses in Lodz are quite flexible and the content has some similarity like in Centria.

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

-As most of Europe Country, like in Finland, study culture there is not so stressful.

5. What is your study group like?

-The class normally has around 10-12 students, some just have 5 or less because they organize just for mobility students.

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

-I lived in the school dormitory, it's so close to my faculty so i just need to walk everyday to school. In the weekend, they organize events to visit the historical parks, museums or some entertaining places.

7. What has been challenging? Why?

-Some dormitories there dont have good quality to live. We have common kitchen for the whole floor. And there's no fridges in dormitory, if we want, we have to buy one. So I need to buy fresh food almost everyday, that's my most challenging while living there.

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

-hmm, not much but I think the best I got there is I have many new friends and the memory hanging out with them there was unforgettable.

Introduction - Ngoc Nguyen

Hi,

My name is Ngoc Nguyen from group NITK17K which means that I am studying Information Technology. Now is my second year and I am preparing for my exchange year in the city of Lodz, Poland. I have been planning a lot of milestones to achieve during the time I will be in Poland, such as meeting new friends, enjoying student life in ”real” dorm like what I have known from TV shows, exploring more countries, having an internship, and so forth. I hope that choosing University of Lodz for the double degree will be a good decision.

Love to meet all of you,

Ngoc Nguyen

Hello, I am Thang Vu, I am a second year IT student, I applied for a double degree program in University of Lodz in Poland. I hope to learn and experience new environment in a new country.

D-I-E, Zhi, Poland

1. DESCRIBE: Think of one episode that has left you confused or that you think was strange/different. 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?

When walking to the street, I saw different views in the city. It’s mixed west and east Europe. There are not only western Europe style buildings, factory buildings, but also Russian churches, Stalinist architecture. Seniors are more likely to speak Russian as foreign language, while young people speak are more likely to speak English and German as foreign language.

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?  

This fact makes the city quite interesting, and I started to read the history of the city. From the 19th century, Łódź has been the Land for many nations: Poles, Germans, Jews, and Russians. German merchants built the textile factories, schools, theaters. Jewish built the Jewish community. Russian built Orthodox Church, Stalinist architecture. Because of the WW II, the city was partly destroyed and people died or moved away from the city. After World War II ended, Poland fell under Soviet control and the communist People’s Republic of Poland was created as a Soviet satellite state.In 1989 Communism was abolished and the Third Polish Republic had been established. 

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?

I realized how history can affect a city from different perspectives. Not only the buildings but also how people behave.

It is always interesting to me to trace back the history of a city. I would like to share the interesting stories about the city.

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.