Journal 6

This weeks class was great because we had a chance to go to Ghana Fest. I wrote about that for one of my cultural events so I'll let you read there :)

Journal 5

This week I was unfortunately unable to make it to class. I did however, read more in Factory Girls and I admire the pride they have for their families and themselves to do well. It takes amazing courage to go away from home and make money for your family, especially in the conditions of the factories. I am interested to keep reading and find out the ending of the book!

Week 4

This week Shelly gave a presentation about China and really kept the class open to discussion and debate about the Chinese educational system. Her presentation really changed my outlook on exchange students coming from China and gave me a greater appreciation for someone who wants to enter a foreign country and try to fit in and learn their cultures. I was disappointed to find that our teachers are not good at accommodating students who come to learn in America, I would hope that we were more welcoming. As we talked about Factory Girls we discussed the intense pride that these girls have for their families and how they are determined to go off on their own and make a life for themselves. They do not want to put shame on their family name and send money home whenever they can. I cannot imagine working those long hours with such poor conditions.

Week 3

In class this week we discussed The Akans in Ghana. I learned that the Akans believe in God, spirits, dwarfs and ancestors. I found it very interesting that they had so many different spiritual beliefs. Their idea of conception was most interesting to me; they think that the male spirit mingles with the woman's blood during conception. As a woman I was particularly interested in the woman's rite of passage. They are paraded naked in the streets while the men watch. I cannot imagine having to do this, I would be so embarrassed! Although, this is a valued part of their culture, which I understand. Also in class we discussed the book Femail Ritual Servitude. I was happy to share my thoughts about the book with my fellow classmates and to find that they shared the same horror. I feel so awful for those women who had to endure the Trokosis and I cannot imagine being in their place. I am happy that people are relieving those women of their pain and suffering.

Ghana Fest

May 9, 2011 I attended Ghana Fest on South Green in the Martzolff Complex. This was the third year for Ghana fest and the purpose is to inform others of Ghana's culture and give those from Ghana a chance to celebrate their culture. When I first arrived we sat down and waited for the food to be served. They had many different dishes, most had rice or noodles and meat. The food was delicious and I enjoyed trying a new cultures main dishes! After we finished eating President McDavis spoke to us about his visit to Ghana and how it opened his eyes to how great traveling abroad can be. Next there was a fashion show.Most of the clothing worn were brightly colored and patterned tunics. The most interesting part of the evening were the ladies who performed a traditional African dance for us. The wore the tunics similar to the ones I previously described as they performed. I really enjoyed being able to be apart of this cultural event and it really went along with some of the things we have discussed this quarter.

Project Search 2- HIV and Education

http://www.actionaid.org/main.aspx?PageID=117

This article is about the effects of HIV/ AIDS and it's impact on education both teachers and students alike. Research says that countries are not responding very well to teachers who are suffering from AIDS. The program known as STAR is helping to educate teachers working in Africa about their own risks to AIDS and to help them get rid of the negative stigma AIDS portrays.

Interview- Felix Steiner

I chose to interview Felix Steiner from Lichtenfels, Germany. Felix came to my high school as a part of a Sister Cities program for my sophomore and part of my senior years. We communicated via Facebook and here are his responses to my questions!

From the left: Felix, CJ and Kevin. 

These are my friends from high school and Felix at an OSU game their Freshman year. I think these boys and Buckeye pride are the reasons why Felix thinks sports and American education go hand in hand haha :)

1. Where are you from?

 I'm from Lichtenfels, Germany

2. What level of schooling have you completed?

 Highschool degree

3. What is/was your life like growing up in Germany?

Educational wise I went to Kindergarten until i was 7, when I was younger I spent most time with my friends from my neighborhood playing soccer both on soccer fields but most of the time in the streets.

4. Describe the type of government in your country.

Germany is a democratic republic with Angela Merkel as it's chancellor. The Chancellor is the head of government and is therefore the executive power as the parliament is the legislative power. The Chancellor always gets elected for 4 year terms but can indefinitely get reelected.

5. What is the structure of the educational system in Germany?

1) The Gymnasium: after grade 12 pupil finish with the final exam the Abitur what prepares them to attend university
2) The Realschule: final exam is the "Mittlere Reife" after grade 10. The school has compared to the Gymnasium a broader range of emphasis for intermediate pupils

3) The Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education: final exam is the "Hauptschulabschluss" 

What type of school children can attend is all depending on there GPA of the "Grundschule"

6. What motivated you to come study in the US?

Well as you know I didnt study there yet but for me the motivation is or would be more for social than for educational reasons. First of all I always wanted to study abroad and since I'm so much into sports I like how sports and education are combined in the U.S.

7. What are your views on American education?

For me being used to German education I think the American education (Highschool!) is not as strict and easier to get through considering tests. I think it's a good thing sports are appreciated as part of the education but with the US having college sports in my opinion lots of kids invest way too much time into sports instead of their studies, i think for me this is one big weakness educational wise because when people don't make it far enough to make sports their living they end up having a bad educational level.

8. What are your views on American culture and social life?

Socially I feel like Americans have a very strong company as a community if needed. Americans obviously are very patriotic what I personally like a lot since patriotism is still such a big problem in Germany because of its history. What i recognised most about American culture is how people are very religious and appreciate life. Also sports play one important role in most Americans lifes.

9. What were some challenges you faced adjusting to American student life?

 can't really think of serious challenges that i faced. If there is one I would say that sometimes it wasn't always easy to have people understand how Germany is like and how certain things work in our country.

 10. What were some strategies you used to adjust to American learning and culture?

I think the best way to adjust to any culture is to just be open minded and leaving own cultural values behind. When I came to America for the first time I always tried to be open for new things to experience and tried to talk to people a lot. For me it was the easiest way to understand what people think and how they feel about life in general.