Jackie Camacho

11 August 2014

Final Reflection

Erfurt, DE -- Germany has not been an easy ride for me. I have had some bad luck and not such good judgment at times, but the best way to learn is through experience. Prior to arriving to Europe and my first week or so, I was definitely a 1 on the scale of cultural adaptation. I was in the honey moon phase wanting to absorb all the culture and getting to know everything that was going. It soon changed very quickly. After our trip to Prague, I could not adjust to Erfurt at all. Everyone knew English in Prague and going to back to Erfurt brought me into complete culture shock. I had not had the opportunity to adjust or adapt to my new surroundings much. Although it was hard to communicate, I still had not experienced any true conflicts, but that would soon change. Finding myself in a completely different atmosphere really helped me appreciate my own culture a lot more.

I want to begin by explaining some of my experience with a language barrier. Although cultural norms did get in the way at times, trying to communicate with someone who has no idea what you are saying was a lot harder for me. The times where it was really noticeable was when we were being the loud Americans or didn’t know the proper German table manners at restaurants. Most of my issues or difficulties came from not having a single clue what the people I was surrounded by were saying. Most people in Germany speak English, and speak it very well, but this was not always the case. Erfurt is a small city in a rural region and it’s pretty much split in half between English and non-English speakers. All the students from the university speak English and it was very easy to communicate with them. Even when I met younger people out on the town that didn’t know very good English, they were really open when trying to communicate. We wanted to know them and they wanted to know us. This is where communication accommodation was really seen. I would try to speak slower in English in order to give them the chance to understand me, while they tried to find the right words and teach me a few German words along the way. When it came to adults, however, they were not always so nice in welcoming my non-German ways. Sometimes I had to just stay quiet when people responded they didn’t know English with a dry “nein.” You could immediately tell they had no interest in helping me at all. This is when I found myself experiencing cultural divergence. I would try to communicate by using signals and pointing, but it would be a one sided attempt, so I would just look at them, stay quiet, pay, say “Danke,” and walk away. It was as simple of an exchange that I could have. It wasn’t always this way; we were lucky to meet Kazim, the owner of the Pizzeria Lunchbox. He welcomed us with open arms and was constantly asking us about our trips throughout the summer and trying to pick up on as many English words as he could. It was great to see such an already hard-working man trying to work hard to know our language and get to know us.

Traveling around Europe opened my eyes as to how much The United States has a global image. The moment I said New Jersey as my home state, people immediately mentioned The Jersey Shore reality show and giggled. That would normally be followed by, “you don’t look like snooki!” It was funny to see that even people across the ocean knew the jersey stereotype that everyone is shocked to know I do not fit at all. So many western ideas are prevalent in Europe. All the music on the radio we listen to at home, I hear in stores and clubs all over Europe. Everywhere I went I could count on at least a minimal understanding of English. I had learned it was the language of business, but I did not expect to hear people speaking fluent English in Prague or Barcelona.

This is (from left to right) me, Callie, Erin, Marissa, and Avery before we went on a boat party along the river in Prague. This was us in the second week; who knew we would be all so close in the end?

This experience gave me so many new friends that I am going to truly miss so much. I wish we had made stronger connections with some of the German students, but I do not regret any of the friendships I have made. We were all a bunch of American students coming to a very foreign place and it brought us closer together. I would have never met Marissa, even though we both go to same school and our both in sororities, if it wasn’t for this trip; I would call her mom, because she was always looking out for us and making sure we were okay. She was like a big sis during the trip and I can’t imagine not knowing her. There were girls from other schools, like Averey (University of Oklahoma), and Erin (University of Texas), who I most definitely wouldn’t have gotten to meet if it wasn’t for experiencing this trip together. These girls became some of my closest friends, and along with Charite (West Virginia University) have shared some of the funniest, best moments. Europe did a number on us, but it was great to laugh at the dumb moments, like catching the wrong subway or ending up in what we thought was a sketchy part of Berlin. We were all part of this new experience, so none of us needed to try and maintain self-face with each other. A week ago, I was ready to go home and eat some buffalo chicken dip and watch English television. As the days dwindled down to the end, however, I found myself wishing I had more time to travel, more time to make new friends, more time to see Erfurt, and more time to do so much more. Germany and Europe may not have been home, but they truly were the next best thing.


11 August 2014

Munich

The view from inside a Dachau living quarter. This is
specifically where hundreds of religious leaders were
housed during the Holocaust. 
Munich -- Munich was unlike any of the other places we visited this summer. It was the first place in Europe that I really got to use my navigational skills. Our hostel was located in a more residential area of Munich, so public transportation was a must. Erin, a student form University of Texas, and I arrived to Munich alone and had no idea what we were doing; however, we managed to figure out the subway and tram and get to our stop. The tough part was finding our hostel. It was located on a dead end street, so it took us a couple of looks at the map and asking around before we finally made it. Our first experience with Germans in Munich was trying to navigate through the neighborhood. After walking in circles for about fifteen minutes, we decided it was time to ask for help. We approached a group of nurses and naturally we asked if they spoke English. Fortunately, they knew perfect English (we came to find out everyone basically knows German in Munich), and were glad to help us find our way. It was great to receive good German hospitality, especially since we had not seen much of Germany yet and weren’t sure what to expect.

The first day we met up with the rest of the group and went out to dinner in the city. Munich is a lot more expensive than anywhere else we have traveled. The beer and food was a lot more than we had seen in Erfurt. After some research, I found out that Bavaria is actually the richest region in the richest country in Europe. When we ordered, I asked for a smaller beer than the regular .51 liter, because it was almost 3 euro more expensive. Our waitress looked at me and said, “Here in Bavaria, we drink half liter!” First, I thought this is the rule all over the beer loving Germany, but it caught my attention that she mentioned the region instead. Bavarian pride is very vibrant. Men all over the streets were dressed in lederhosen, a traditional Bavarian clothing, to celebrate the World Cup game against USA. Shops had Bavarian flags hanging on their windows instead of the German flag. It was very noticeable that these people loved their region and were very proud of its traditions that date back to the 6th century.

While In Munich, we really wanted to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was outside of the city and easy to get there by bus or taxi. I had no idea what to expect from a concentration camp. I had heard the history in school, but no one can prepare you for what you are going to see. It was surreal to walk on the same ground that thousands of Jews walked every day wondering if they’d live to see the next day. Dachau was different from many other camps, because of its “special” living quarter for religious leaders. They had an entire housing area dedicated to these people. Small rooms with toilets inside, and nothing but a small crack of light coming in. The testimonials were unbelievable. I had no idea the extremities people would go in order to avoid living in these camps another day. There isn’t much left from the original buildings, but the camp shows enough of the living conditions that it makes you believe for a second that there is no way this actually happened. The thought is so surreal, but we all know it happened, and that is the saddest part to admit. The history that Germany has is unlike anywhere else in the world. The people of Germany have done an amazing job at maintaining the memories of so many lost souls through memorials, museums, and camps all over the country.

After dinner and some walking around, we decided to go out and enjoy the nightlife. Munich is known for its posh nightlife. All the reviews we read made it seem like these clubs were very picky on who they let in and you were lucky if you got into P2 or Pacha, because they were the most selective clubs in Germany. We even read reviews that said they didn’t let you in a club if you only spoke English; needless to say, we avoided these places and went to a club some friends had recommended us. The club was very pricey; the drinks and cover were twice what we paid in Erfurt and Prague. Nonetheless, we had a great time and got to meet locals and Americans while there, who showed us an awesome time!


10 August 2014

Amsterdam

Amsterdam -- Amsterdam is a worldwide known city and attracts people from all over. We had to experience this famous city in order to make this a real summer in Europe. Unfortunately for us, the weather forecast wasn’t looking so bright for the few days we would be there. We knew, however, that we had to see the city no matter what it may be like outside. This was another trip where I got to use my navigational skills to get us around the city. When we first got to the city, I noticed that almost everyone was on bikes. It was raining outside and people were still on their bikes holding umbrellas. A couple of years back I read the now famous movie, Fault in Our Stars. In the book they actually called Amsterdam “the city of bikes.” It was great to see this in real life.

This is the very first Heineken brewery, built in 1867. It is now
a museum for the public that shows the entire process of how they
make their world-famous Dutch pilsner beer. 
We got to visit it the second day! 
The next day, we decided to try and get a look at the Anne Frank house. During the Nazi regime and persecution of European Jews. Anne Frank, a young girl, went in hiding with her family in this building in Amsterdam to avoid being taken to live on concentration camps. While in hiding, Anne kept a diary recording of her experience, which was later found and turned into an award-winning book. Anne Frank and all those in hiding, except for her father, did not survive The Holocaust, but their memory and story lives on through this museum. I was really looking forward to seeing this memorial. When we turned on the street for the museum, however, we realized the line extended pretty long. We figured we would wait, since this was such a powerful memorial. We didn’t see how far the line went back. Once we reached the end of the line, the wait was estimated at two hours and it was raining. Even though the weather was less than ideal, people did not move from the line and stood with their umbrellas waiting to see the museum. Even though I was disappointed, I knew we had to move on with our trip. We only had one full day in Amsterdam, and wanted to get to see more of the city. It did give perspective as to how important this memorial is to people from all around the world. The story behind the building is unbelievable and people want to experience the history and sentiment behind it.

We decided to walk the shopping area of Amsterdam and possibly get a glimpse of the notorious red light district. The idea of walking through a street where woman were standing in windows trying to attract men was completely bizarre to me. Prostitution is legal and very accepted in the culture and in many other places in Europe. At first, we began to walk through a main street in the area where there were a lot of bars and restaurants; we accidentally ended up turning on a main street of the red light district and I was in shock. We awkwardly walked through the street trying to avoid eye contact with the women dancing and standing in windows half clothed. Although it seems pretty self-explanatory, the red light district is named this way because in front of the businesses there are red lights to signify what type of stores they are. I didn’t realize that until I was actually there!

Thankfully, we had no problem with communicating with people in Amsterdam. Since it is such a huge tourist spot, everyone spoke English. I wish that we could have experienced more of Amsterdam, but the heavy rain got in the way of our many plans to walk around the city. This is a city I would definitely want to see again, especially to see where Anne Frank and her family hid for years in hopes of keeping their lives.


10 August 2014

Prague

Prague -- Prague was the best trip I have had in Europe. I like to call it the best city on earth, because of my awesome experience. It is a huge tourist spot, but it has an immense amount of history and culture. When we first planned the trip, we were a bit skeptical about traveling to The Czech Republic. We knew little about this country and had no idea what to expect, but we knew that this famous city had to be on the list of cities to see. We were especially nervous about our hostel, especially since the night before we had stayed in a not so nice one. We were pleasantly surprise to arrive at The Mosaic House; it was a super trendy hostel with a bar, lounge, restaurant, and great vibes for young travelers. The workers greeted us in English and mapped out the entire city and the best places to go during our visit. It was the best hospitality we have experienced the entire time in Europe. I felt like we could take this city on with no problem.

This is (from left to right) Callie, Erin, Michael, me, Markus and
Mason, all students in the program, taking a picture with some of 
the Croatian guys (back middle) we met. This was on the top
floor of the Karlovy Lazne Club.
The first night we did not see many sites and decided to save our energy for the famous nightlife. We went to Karlovy Lazne Club which is one of the most famous clubs in Europe. The nightclub had been many things before its current standing including a spa, an editing company, and a cafe. In the second half of the twentieth century, the building was abandoned and slowly started to deteriorate. In the late 1990’s, the building was rebuilt and reborn into the now famous club. The club has five different floors and embraces all different types of music. We got there at around 11 and absolutely no one was there. We got a bit concerned thinking that we might have misinterpreted the reputation this club had; it was a Tuesday night, so it could be a very slow night. An hour passed by and slowly the people began to come in. All of a sudden, a crowd of people poured in and the club quickly became immersed with people from all of the world ready to have a good time. Towards the beginning of the night, we met a group of travelers from Croatia and we quickly became their friends. They didn’t know much English and we sure didn’t know any Croatian, but we were able to communicate with each other. Both of our groups were there to do the same thing-- enjoy an amazing city that was foreign to us. We had a common ground that it made it a lot easier to share our stories and experiences.

Throughout the couple days we spent in Prague we got to see a lot of the nightlife and eat the delicious traditional food. The last day we spent our day along the Charles Bridge. It was absolutely beautiful with a great view of the city. The bridge was the most important connection between the city’s Old Town and Prague Castle, which also made it a very important trade route between Western and Eastern Europe. The bridge had a bunch of small stands with people selling jewelry, art, and hand crafts. There were people playing instruments that gave a fun and enjoyable vibe. The bridge was completely filled with people from all over the world taking pictures of the beautiful sight. It was a great way to end our trip!


08 August 2014

Erfurt

Erfurt, DE -- Erfurt is a very different city when experiencing it alone. After our one week break, most of the group decided to go to Spain; unfortunately, I had just gotten back from Barcelona and my wallet was suffering the consequences, so I decided to stay in Erfurt. I was left to stumble on my German and venture the city alone. The first day alone I decided to relax in my room and enjoy a romantic comedy marathon. I stayed in partially because I just want to lay in bed and do nothing, but I also found myself being a little nervous to go into the city alone. I didn’t want to have a communication misunderstanding or get overwhelmed by not knowing the language. The next day, however, I decided I would venture off into the city.

A sign outside a local store in Erfurt. Germans
sure love their beer! 
Erfurt is a small city and the capital of Thüringen, Germany. It’s where we had spent the last two months and it was our own home away from home. Many of us, however, don’t know much about the rich history that sweeps the streets of Erfurt. The Domplatz, the cathedral and main city circle, house the world's largest medieval free-swinging bell. The Topf and Sohne museum dedicated to exhibiting what used to be a factory that made incineration furnaces during the Holocaust. The city is overlooked by a park which used to be a castle blocked in by a wall. The wall was actually used to protect the king from the people who were dissatisfied by his rule. Although I have been to all these places, I decided that on my journey through Erfurt alone I would take a more relaxed local approach.

I started my day along the residential bridge, Krämerbrücke (mentioned in earlier blog). There are a bunch of small shops that were perfect for souvenir shopping. All the stuff in these stores were locally made by people from Erfurt. I was able to find a mug, journal, and wooden carving to take back home. To my surprise, I had no problem communicating with the shop owners. Even though my German had not gotten any better, I was more comfortable interacting with the people. When the cashiers told me the total, I tried to pick up on the actual words being said rather than just pulling out a twenty euro and hoping I was right. Although language is still an issue, being able to navigate through the city has made it easier for me to feel more like a local. I was able to walk around in Anger, a main city centre, and walk through small streets to find interesting stores without feeling like I would get lost. Once my day was over, I went to the Schnitzler, a local restaurant with probably the best crispy pork I have ever had. Once the waiter realized I didn’t know German, he asked if I needed an English menu. It felt awesome to be able to tell him no, because 1. I knew exactly what to order and 2. I actually understood most things on the menu. It was a great way to end my day as a local!


07 August 2014

Barcelona

Barcelona is known for its beaches, but it has beautiful mountain views too. This is me doing a ropes course overlooking the city.
Barcelona -- I had been anticipating my trip to Barcelona since before the summer even officially started. I have a cousin who lives there with her husband and children and as a birthday gift they bought me a ticket from Germany to their beloved city. I had heard so many amazing things about the lifestyle and atmosphere and I was ready to finally get to see it with my own eyes. As I was preparing to go to Europe, I was speaking to my dad about the trip my cousin had planned for me; to my surprise, I had an uncle and aunt who also lived in Barcelona from my dad’s side that I had never met before. This was the perfect opportunity to get to know a side of my family that I had never had any connections with. Four weeks into my trip in Europe I would get to visit a beautiful, global city and also get to know myself a little better.

La Sagrada Familia is one of the most famous 
cathedrals in the world known for its grand architecture. 
When Goudi died is cathedral was left unfinished, but 
Barcelona is keeping his legacy alive
and finishing its construction.
Barcelona, the coastal city, is a land of beaches, mountains, city life, and everything in between. Being the city that is home to FC Barcelona, which I may add has World Cup’s best soccer player Messi, adds to the upbeat crazy lifestyle. I knew very little about the city when first arriving, but my city tour gave me a big chunk of history I had very little previously knowledge about. Barcelona is located in the north of Spain in the region of Catalonia; people here do not speak Spanish as their primary language, but instead speak Catalan—a mixture of French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. Communicating, however, was not much of an issue because everyone also knows Spanish, which I am fluent in. Throughout our city tour I got to see the amazing architecture artwork by Antoni Gaudi. His most famous art piece being the still unfinished cathedral, La Sagrada Familia. The cathedral is massive with extraordinary detailing and attracts thousands of people every day. This church is representative of the great appreciation Barcelona has with its art work. From the Picasso museum to the Christopher Columbus statue, everything in this city was a work of creativity and imagination. They even had a statue that stood on top of the city to symbolize the 1992 Olympics.

After my tour of the city, I could see that the people in this city appreciated the arts on a complete other level than I had seen anywhere else in Europe. Germany is a country of efficiency and getting work done; Barcelona was all about appreciating leisure and enjoying the sun. Going from two completely different places was a bit of a shock. When I arrived in Barcelona it was the beginning of their holiday and these people really take their vacation seriously. Most shops were not open on Sundays (like Germany), but were also closed on Mondays. If they were open on Mondays, they opened at the earliest 11 in the morning and this is what it was like for most of the week. There were some stores I couldn’t get to see because they were closed the entire week. This was completely bizarre to me. I’m used to 24 hour super markets and taco trucks at 2 AM. It was hard enough adjusting to everything being closed on Sundays in Germany. I kept asking my cousin how it was possible to function in this city! Her response always related to the beach. Barcelona is right along the Mediterranean Sea and everyone always seems to be heading to the shore to soak up the sun.

The beach was definitely a nice vacation from the land bound city of Erfurt, and the food was completely different then what I had been eating in Germany. My cousin, Lili, and her family took me out to dinner the first night. I truly dislike seafood, but my cousin was adamant on giving me the real Spain culture experience. I swallowed my dislike and ended up trying gamba (shrimp like food), octopus, clams, and scallops. It wasn’t too bad, but I’ll stick with the German pork specialty, Schnitzel. Barcelona is very diverse. I got to meet a girl from Cologne and Munch, two big cities in Germany. They loved Barcelona for its laid back environment and sunny days. All over Europe I had been meeting new people from all over the world; I had never met my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Barcelona before and I barely knew anything about them until this trip. Needless to say I was a bit nervous to meet a new side of my family. My Aunt’s sons were natives to Barcelona, so I got to get a taste of what it was like growing up in this city. My cousin, Cristian, took me out to local bars where I got to meet a bunch of his friends. Even though we all spoke Spanish, I had trouble understanding them at times because of the different accent Spaniards have. I got a small tour of the city from them and learned what the nightlife was in the city. In a few words, people in Barcelona love to party. Everything from bars to all day parties on the beach; their clubs are open more hours than their supermarkets!

I got to see the historic city monuments and zip line through the beautiful woods of Barcelona, but I also got a taste of what it was like to be a local in Barcelona. I would recommend this city to anyone who was hoping to take a vacation and enjoy a little leisure—or a lot!


05 August 2014

Intercultural Adaptation Theory

This is Rostbrätel, a Thuringer speciality. It is basically 
a pork chop with bread, but is one of the most delicious 
things I have eaten, especially when it is only two euro!
Erfurt, DE -- We have almost reached the end of our trip; it’s time to really reflect on how well we have adapted to our new surroundings. Intercultural adaption theory looks at how we might change our communication behavior to convey our message and minimize misunderstanding. This theory is very similar to Communication Accommodation Theory in where we are changing our behaviors for adaptation. At this point in our trip, we have traveled to many places, but have spent the most continuous time in Erfurt. I have tried to pick up on German habits and manners. I try not to be the loud American everywhere I go and follow table manners. My main issue, however, has been communicating with people. I hate to assume that people speak English and come off rude, so instead I stay quiet and try to just pretend like I know what is going on. When I was alone in Erfurt, I went shopping and all I had to do was to look at the tags and make sure I was giving the right amount of money. I didn’t speak much besides saying thank you and goodbye. Whenever I was asked anything, the people would make hand movements to try and show me what they were saying. Last week at the supermarket, the worker was trying to ask me if my bag was old or if I was buying it now. I had no idea what she was saying so I began to walk away assuming she was done ringing me up. She then repeated herself and began pointing at the bag. I felt so embarrassed and began to use my hands to communicate; I pointed at the bag and myself in hopes that there would be less of a misunderstanding and she wouldn’t think I was trying to steal the bag. Although I try to blend in and stay quiet as a form of adaptation, when I am stuck in a moment of possible misunderstanding I use my hands to try to communicate. When we go out on a weekend, I never know what to expect with the people, because I am not sure if they speak English or not; however, we have managed to make a few friends by randomly talking to people and hoping they speak English. One friend we made told us that the best way to adapt to the people was to just talk to them and that most people would welcome us with open arms. The nerves of feeling out of my element, however, has kept me from doing so.

In a model of cultural adaptation, there is a scale from one to four. One being the honeymoon phase, where we are excited to experience the new environment and four being adapted completely to this environment. I would have to rate myself around a 2.6. At one point, I did feel like I was barely a 2 stuck in complete culture shock. I was a little scared to leave my room on my own from the fear that I would be stuck trying to communicate but not be able to convey my message. After spending four days in Erfurt alone, I realized that I was starting to adjust to the city and culture a lot more. I was able to shop and eat out without ever facing a problem.


04 August 2014

Reflections from Berlin

Berlin -- We had all been super excited to finally get to see the famous city of Berlin. Before arriving to Berlin, I was mostly eager to see the nightlife that everyone in Europe talked about—Berlin, the club city of Europe. I had no idea how much history lied behind the crazy streets of Berlin. From previous knowledge, I knew that Berlin, like the rest of Germany, had been split into different sections forming an East and West section. I had no idea, however, how different life was for people living in each side was.

To understand Berlin now, we must look at the history of this city and Germany. After WWII and the demise of the Nazi Regime, The Allies divided the country and Berlin into separate sections. West Germany was divided into sections for France, Britain, and The USA. East Germany was controlled by Russia and ruled under socialism. This area of Germany was known as GDR, or German Democratic Republic. Since East Germany was under a socialistic government, they had little freedom and were very much controlled by the government. Everything from where and when you had vacation to the job you had was controlled by the government. This way of living, the lack of resources, and the Cold War brewing was what later led to the fall of the Berlin Wall that divided the city. We got to learn about the fascinating history behind Berlin and Germany post WWII through our city tour and museum visits. The GDR museum bought to life history that was very much new to us. One historic fact that really fascinated me was the story behind nudist beaches. The people in East Germany did not have much freedom, so they found expression through their body. Nudist beaches became symbolism for “stick it to the man.”

Because the city was divided completely into different sections that represented different areas of the world, it created a lot of diversity in Berlin. The city, unlike any other part of Germany, is filled with people from all over the Globe. The moment I walked onto the local bus I could notice the different faces that made this city. Erfurt is a small city with very little diversity. There aren’t many minorities or people traveling from different parts of the world. Most people in Erfurt are white German college students and families. It makes it harder to communicate with people, because most people are from the city and have already made friends and social groups. While in Berlin we were able to get a taste of something new. People came from all over the place and were willing to talk about where they came from and make new travel buddies. In Alexanderplatz, a city circle near our hostel, I met people from South America selling handmade jewelry. At the bars, we met young people travelling from Australia, Holland, England, Brazil, and The US. 

The city, although filled with a lot history, was very westernized. Berlin had McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and western shopping stores. It felt like I was back at home in New Jersey or New York. Erfurt does have some western fast food chains, but the moment you see a Starbucks and a DD you know your home and Berlin was a good reminder of home. Berlin is a modernized city with tall buildings, live streets, and the most convenient to me – English speakers. I am so used to asking people in Erfurt if they speak English, but when I arrived in Berlin and asked the same question most people answered “of course!” I did not meet a single person in Berlin that did not speak a good amount of English and it definitely made the stay there go a lot smoother. I love our little city of Erfurt, but most of the time I catch myself pointing at things on the menu and looking at the register to know what I am paying. It’s always a hit or miss when asking someone if they know English. Another big difference I found was the nightlife between Berlin and Erfurt. We have had a lot of fun nights in Erfurt, but we have also had nights where we didn’t know what to do or where to go, because nothing was really going on. That was not a problem in Berlin at all. We arrived on a Monday night and that same night we went to a bar that was fully packed with people coming in and out all night. Every night of the week was lively with a bar or club to go to. Since there is a bigger scene of young people traveling to the city, more people were going out.

What I loved most about Berlin was the youth scene. Berlin is known around Europe as the city of hipsters, and boy is everyone right. After visiting both Munich and Berlin, it was like each of them could be a part of New York. Munich is very metropolitan like uptown or downtown Manhattan, while Berlin is hipster and alternative like Brooklyn or Soho. I felt like I had traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and landed straight in The City. Graffiti, coffee shops, local bars and restaurants, street performers and boys in tight jeans took me back to hipster New York immediately.. The second night all the girls took the subway to what seemed like a sketchy part of Berlin. Initially, we were a little taken back by the people yelling on the streets and the bars filled with people inside and out. Most of us embraced the moment and ended up loving this area of the city for its character and livelihood. Marissa told us the next day that her cousin said this area was the hip and upcoming area of Berlin. It wasn’t the “bad” part of town; it was the part where all the young hipsters had fun and weren’t afraid to show it. The next day, a few of us traveled back to this area and took a look at the EastSide Gallery. This had to be the most interesting part of my entire trip. An entire section of the Berlin Wall was covered in amazing Graffiti art. It was filled with quotes, abstract pieces, political art, symbolic art that completely put me in awe.

Berlin was definitely the best way to end our Europe excursion. It was just the right amount of home feeling I needed, but still unique and new in so many different ways. Berlin had so much history that made it unique from any area of the USA that I have visited. It definitely reminded me of New York in so many ways, but it has such a different story behind its origin and it truly makes it an amazing place to travel. Berlin has come a long way in becoming the place it is today and the culture and atmosphere were definitely representative of that.


16 July 2014

Cultural Convergence Theory

Erfurt, DE -- Convergence is when a person moves toward another person by trying to reach a common ground or similarity. The main point of this theory, however, is that the communicators do not actually reach the point of convergence. This can sometimes lead to an opposite affect known as divergence; this is when someone is in a relatively closed social system in which communication is limited therefore leading to a greater cultural diversity.

Thuringia is the region in which Erfurt 
is located and also the capital of. Just 
like most parts of Germany it has its local 
beer native to the region.
For the most part, I have experienced cultural openness in both Amsterdam and Germany. The difference between Erfurt and Amsterdam is their exposure to Americans. It is noticeable that in Amsterdam, the people are more accustomed to being around tourists and Americans. While in Erfurt, the people are more used to Germans. While we stayed in Amsterdam, we were always spoken to in English even before explaining that we didn't know Dutch. There were many people of different cultures and everyone converged towards speaking English in the attempt to find common ground. In Erfurt, I have met many people who are very open to our group of students, but sometimes we have had incidents in which people have taken part in a more closed system.

The couple days before our trip to Amsterdam, Callie, Erin, and I went to eat dinner downtown. As usual, we sat down, tried to understand the German menus, and ate our food relatively quietly. First, Callie was given the wrong order; in the U.S.A., we would just politely tell the waiter the issue, but in Germany we weren't exactly sure what would be considered rude or polite. To avoid any conflict, Callie ate the dinner given to her and refrained from telling the waiter. We had also gotten the wrong amount of utensils only leaving to of us to be able to eat. This we couldn't exactly avoid, so we told the waiter that we needed another set of fork and knife. He seemed a bit annoyed, like he had done nothing wrong. We looked past his irritation and proceeded to eat. As usual we tried to communicate the little German we knew to the waiter in the attempts to converge with the culture-- the waiter was not having it. After we finally finished dinner and asked for the check, the waiter proceeded to explain the bill to us in a condescending way. I understand that we may be American and aren't accustomed to all German norms, but I think we could read numbers pretty well. He finished off by saying, "by the way the tip isn't included." In the U.S.A this is a huge act of rudeness. If anything the waiter should be expecting a bigger tip than usual, because we are used to giving fifteen percent. I looked at him, nodded, and proceeded to leave him .50 cents as a tip just in spite.

We have been trying to converge our behaviors and sometimes we have be subpar, but most people we have met have seen our efforts. In this setting, I was initially motivated to converge, but in the end resulted to divergence. In Amsterdam we did not have this issue of feeling different and didn't have to try very hard to converge. In Erfurt it has definitely been a bigger attempt and sometimes both parties involved aren't open to this cultural communication.


06 July 2014

National Pride

This is in Erfurt in front of the Town Hall that
 dates back to 1250 A.D. It's crazy to think about 
how much pride we have in The United States 
and we have only been a recognized country 
since the last 1700's. Even though Germany 
as a place has been recognized for centuries, 
the country as a whole was only reunified in 1994 
we're the same age!).
Erfurt, DE -- It is very easy to see that Germans do not have the same pride that Americans do, especially when associating to our flag. Not to say Germans do not have pride in their native country, but American pride is one that is particularly special. Germans seem to stray away from the patriotic nationalism and prefer to be neutral on the subject of a flag's symbolism; however, the U.S.A. hsd no problem raising that red, white, and blue to represent our country's pride. To us, our flag is a symbol of overcoming. We attach this meaning of obstacles and pushing through them with our flag, while Germans associate soccer with theirs.

The World Cup brings pride in one's country anywhere you go. We have seen many people with flags on their cars and windows; after a win you can hear cars beeping down the roads around Erfurt, but that is about where this sense of pride goes. I am from Colombia and grew up in a town predominately made of Colombians. After the first win for Colombia during this World Cup, the entire streets of my town were invaded by yellow, blue, and red yelling chants and screaming the symbolic name "cafeteros" or coffee makers. These people are in the U.S.A chanting their pride for Colombia, but in Germany the people don't have that over sense of joy. When talking to some of my classmates, they seem very unaffected by their flag. It holds no real symbolic meaning and kind of see our pride as a bit overpowering in comparison to that of Germans. At the bridge festival a couple of weeks there was an American singer performing and they ask her who do you think will win the game U.S.A or Germany. Michael in a moment of complete American pride yells "MURICA!" All the glares immediately head over to us. To people in Germany it can be perceived as ignorant or rude to be so proud, but to us its a natural reaction.


30 June 2014

One Month in Reflection

Erfurt, DE -- We are at our first month mark in our summer in Germany, and it seems like we have been here forever. We may not know all the ins and outs of Erfurt, but we have definitely learned a lot from this small city. Initially, we were stuck choosing between trying to be our natural American selves or adapting to our new environment. When I arrived in Erfurt I was surprised by the initial small town feel I got. I knew it was a city and as I explored more I got to see more of what it had; however, I see the same faces all the time around town like the accordion man that plays by all the plazas, or the German students we met at a random pizzeria one night. Most people have been more than welcoming to our small group of American friends.

This is the view on the residential bridge of Erfurt 
that is celebrated every year with.The Krämerbrücke 
festival. This residential bridge is one of the oldest in 
Europe and it is over a river that 
used to be the main area of trade in Erfurt.
When we first walked into class, I was afraid the German students may not know English very well or that they would not want to interact with us. We were coming into their home and territory and I wasn’t sure if they would find us intruders in their culture. We are Americans and there is the stigma of “the ugly American,” rude tourist and I was really hoping they did not have this image of us already. I was glad when the German students welcomed us with open arms. They all know about our culture and it makes me want to know more about theirs. The German students knew about our popular television shows and music; when mentioning Grey’s Anatomy or Justin Timberlake they know exactly what we were talking about. Not only did they know about our pop culture, but they also know what food we liked. Hamburgers and pizza are actually very popular in Erfurt. They know perfect English and it makes me wonder why we don’t learn more languages in school that we actually practice and become fluent in. English is a global and I understand the significance behind knowing this world wide language of business, but it would be great to learn a different language at a young age like they do in Germany. It was different getting to know some of these students. I sit next to Julia, one of the German students; it’s funny to hear about her experience and the U.S. and how my experience is going in Germany. My only problem with Germany is their lack of variety in chips. Julia makes fun of me because every time I bring chips to class I end up not liking them. When she went to the U.S. she explained there was too much to choose from and she just wanted the traditional pepper chips from Germany. It may be a simple thing like a snack, but it puts into perspective how different some very simple things can be. More examples of these are restaurant tips, paying to use the bathroom, or when not to cross the street. In Europe tip is a small amount of money and it normally consists of one or two euro in comparison to the 15-20% tip we give in The United States. People are very strict about not walking across the street when the light is green even if there aren’t any cars coming. I was actually told by a local that I could get fined for doing it. This city is beautiful and filled with a lot of great people. Even though communicating can sometimes be difficult 99% of the people try to make an effort and they appreciate when we make an effort to speak their language as well. Simple things like “do you speak English?” or “thank you/please” really make a difference if you try to say them in German -- “sprechen Sie Englisch” or “danke/bitte. It is the first impression that we are trying to respect their culture. At this point in my trip, I have to say I am still being a little too loud at the restaurants and forgetting that nothing is open on Sunday, but I am trying my best to adapt to the culture in Erfurt, Germany, and Europe.


23 June 2014

Face Negotiation Theory

Erfurt, DE -- Conflict is naturally going to arise when in a foreign country, especially when you have no idea how to speak the language. We aren’t used to cultural norms of many places outside of our own and it can cause a lot of misunderstanding. The way we handle conflict really determines the outcome and the interaction. Face Negotiation Theory explains the way in which we deal with this conflict. There are three ways in which an argumentative scenario can be dealt with: self-face concern, other-face concern, and mutual-face concern. When negotiating face, we basically are trying to manage how other sees us and how we see ourselves. Face is the identity we want to portray. Self-face concern is the nature in which we want to protect our own identity when feeling threatened by someone else. Other-face is the concern for the other person's identity in the interaction. Mutual-face concern is the concern for both people's/groups' identity image(s).

This is the menu for Bohemia Café in Prague, 
Czech Republic. It is well known in this big city 
for its great breakfast bagels and sandwiches.
Although German is not in any means a natural language for me, I have not found myself having to deal with much conflict since I got here. I think this mainly derives from the fact that my personality comes from two distinct heritages. Being both of Hispanic culture and American culture I have seen the big differences that two cultures can have. Even though I have not had big confrontation in Europe, there is one thing that I have noticed about the culture that I may have violated. At restaurants whenever I ask for help, most waiters or waitresses tend to get frustrated by me calling for their help. I tend to get a "One moment. okay." I do not want to seem annoying or disrespectful but I have noticed that they do not appreciate it. While in Prague, all the girls went to eat at a local place, called Bohemia Café. that had be known for their breakfast sandwiches. When arriving, it seemed pretty busy, but I figured there would be more than one waitress working--I was wrong. The woman took about 20 minutes to get my order, then about another 20 minutes to tell me they had no bacon for my bacon, egg, and cheese. In between the initial 20 minute wait for her to take my order, I asked for help, and she responded very rudely saying "yes. one moment. okay? one moment." I looked at the woman and tried to politely respond by saying "Okay. I was just hoping you didn't forget about me." In America, waiting for 20 minutes for one person to get an order in is very rare and seen as bad service. In this scenario I was trying to maintain self-face by trying not to come off rude. Afterwards, we were all pretty skeptical about asking for help. However, after having to tell me 20 minutes after putting my order that there was no bacon, the woman seem to be apologetic in act to maintain her self face. In the end, although very irritating, the woman and I seemed to act in mutual face concern, by being patient and saying sorry for the mutual inconvenience.


15 June 2014

Communication Accommodation Theory

Erfurt, DE -- The first week in Erfurt, Germany can be completely described by The Communication Accommodation Theory. Basically this theory explains that we adjust our speech and gestures in order to communicate with someone with whom simple words would not create much meaning, because of different cultural norms such as language barriers. I came to Germany knowing one word “guten Tag”, which I learned from a song we learned in elementary school; nonetheless, I was not prepared to be in Eastern Germany where many of the people do not speak much English. Thankfully for our group we have Mason who was at least able to teach us that “Danke” meant thanks. If I was going to be "that American girl," I might as well be polite while I do it. Every time I ordered any food or even slightly interacted with a German at a grocery store or restaurant, I immediately responded with “Danke.” Many times they knew I didn’t speak German, but appreciated my attempt by responding “bitte,” or even attempting to respond with “you’re welcome.”

Representing the Mountaineers with our new
German friend.
Communication Accommodation Theory was in full play the first day we went to Pizzeria Lunchbox. We all knew that this would be our second home especially after we heard about the great relationship the students had with Kazim, the owner, last year. I walked in to the restaurant to see familiar items on the menu...pizza, wings, pasta. The owner and his wife knew very little English and, although, a very nice couple, it was hard to communicate with each other. I tried to explain myself by pointing to the menu, saying “Nein” and pointing to the onions. Not to mention, I thought pepperoni, meant regular sausage type pepperoni like in the U.S., but apparently it means banana peppers in Germany. As I ordered my food, tried to pay, and tried to have a conversation with the owner about where we were from, where we were staying, etc. I found myself using the Communication Accommodation Theory a lot. Kazim would try to use the English words he knew and teach us new words in German. We were trying to accommodate each other by teach and learning a little bit of English and German. We will definitely will be using this theory in our everyday experiences here in Germany, as well as, all the places we travel this summer. More importantly, I can't wait to eat wings and pizza at Pizzeria Lunchbox all summer!


3 June 2014

Introduction

Hi! My name is Jackie Camacho and I'm from a very small town in northern New Jersey called Dover. I am currently a junior majoring in Communication Studies and International Studies. I plan to work for nonprofit organizations planning events and campaigns. I am super excited to study abroad in Germany with the SPICE program this summer. I hope to strengthen my skills on intercultural communication and other areas of communication. I am also super excited to learn about German culture as well as many other aspects of life in Europe. I can't wait! 

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