Perth, Australia

Why I chose to go to Australia:As a biology student, I am fascinated that Australia is the home of more than 700 bird species, 400 of which (including the largest, flightless birds—the Emu) are found nowhere else on the planet! It is also the home of 20,000 species of plants such as the cycad palm, the grass tree, and the largest living life form on earth, The Great Barrier Reef. One of Australia's greatest treasures for any serious biology student is its stromatolites –the first organisms on Earth. Having an opportunity to study in a country full of such natural phenomena is a dream-come-true.
Students go to Australia from many countries because of the high standard of education it offers and because Australia is an attractive, friendly, beautiful, and safe place to live. Australia attracts many immigrants, and has become a multicultural nation. Because four out of ten Australians are immigrants, studying in Australia means having the opportunity to learn in a diverse environment where competence in intercultural communication is a necessity.

I hope use my intercultural skills when studying Aboriginal culture, and then to share my discoveries with others. I think we can all learn a lot by trying to understand that ancient culture in greater depth. I truly want to learn what it is like to live in an environment like theirs. I do have some fears about living on my own in the Australian outback, especially since the tribal Aborigines are said to be not very welcoming to “outsiders,” but my motivation and eagerness to get to know these people outweigh all of those fears. I'm anxious to be granted approval to carry out this research project.

How this class helped me prepare: The cross-cultural class has turned out to be quite an arduous class for me. Despite all the difficulties, though, it has reinforced my desire to study one of the Aboriginal tribes in Australia. This class has also been an excellent resource and a “study guide” on how to approach other cultures even when one knows nothing about them. I have learned many techniques that can be used to study other cultures and acquire intercultural competence. For example, I now know to ask if a culture is past-, present-, or future-orientedl if it is monochromic or polychromic; if it is high or low context. I know to analyze the style of its verbal and nonverbal communication. I know to ask how its cultural identity is formed. These are concepts that will help me understand any culture I encounter. I have become more confident with the idea of approaching and living alone with the Aborigines.

This class taught me some really good techniques for studying a culture. For instance, knowing how and when to “DIE” (Describe, Interpret, and Evaluate) will help me analyze new experiences in a different culture. Learning about the nonverbal aspects of another culture is another important thing to do. That will help me when I begin to have contact with the Aborigines. This class also helped me reduce the fear and anxiety that everyone seems to experience when making a first contact with something unknown that seems eccentric or mysterious, like a foreign culture.

What I identified as the greatest challenges facing me as I began my study abroad program: If I am allowed to do the ICRP of my choice, I know it will not be easy. Perhaps every other weekend I will be flown to a small mining town in the middle of a desert near an Aboriginal tribal village. I intend first to spend some time camping near the village so that the Aborigines and I can get used to seeing each other from a distance. I will then spend some time being a “part of the village,” meaning I will try to spend most of my time living the life the Aborigines live every day. I hope to learn more about the Aboriginal people's time orientation and cultural identity, among other things. I have already experienced living in the wilderness but living in a desert with many exotic insects and animals will be quite different for me. If I can also learn to communicate with a group of people who are very different from me, this, too, will be greatly rewarding.
The fact that I do not consider myself the most gregarious person in the world poses a personal challenge. At school I am not known to be the most social person around, and encounters with new people sometimes make me excessively timid. I will have to force myself to “want” to be with people, speak to them, form questions, and somehow get along with them. If I can overcome this challenge (and I think I can) I will not only fulfill the goal of my ICRP, but will also overcome a personal challenge that I have to face every day of my life. This will contribute to my personal growth and will probably improve my relationships with other people in general.

The Australian culture in Perth will doubtless prove to be another challenge. I may tend to assume that since Australians speak the same language as I, they are not that much different from me. However, this assumption is at the root of most intercultural conflicts. Even though we do speak the same language, we are still separated by half the world. In this class I have learned about how intercultural conflicts occur, and I hope I will be able to avoid most culture clashes. For example, I know that Australians do have a different time orientation than Americans. They live more relaxed lives and time is more flexible to them. I am looking forward to a more relaxed atmosphere where I don’t always have to concentrate on studying all the time, but I have no doubt that some aspects of this relaxed atmosphere will cause some cultural clashes — or at least some irritation. For example, almost everything in Australia closes at 5:00 pm. While I understand that people want to have time for themselves, I am used to taking study breaks at midnight by driving to an open-late, fast-food restaurant. And of course while I am aware of some of the differences between Australian culture and my own, I know I will learn others the hard way. I am confident that I will overcome all challenges without excessive panic. Reading about Australia before I go will definitely help to ease my anxiety.

What I'd most like to say about being in Australia: I have learned a lot about Aboriginal culture, and I have had some life-changing experiences. I have touched a little on the Aboriginal tribe’s native language and understand to some extent how their history is passed on to successive generations. I have tried to learn how they place themselves in terms of orientation to time, whether they are collectivist or individualistic, what their locus of control is, and finally, whether they qualify as a monochromic or polychromic culture. I greatly enjoyed my time in Australia and do not want to let go of the feeling I experienced there. At times I thought I was not going to make it, but through perseverance and some outside help from friends and advisors I pulled it off and finished my project. Despite all my training before departure I had not realized how hard it could be to live in a culture so different from my own.

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Read excerpts from my letters home.