Understanding American culture Essay Example for Free

Understanding American culture Essay I was 18 years old when my father decided to send me to America and to cover the traveling expenses, my father sold his land. At that time, my future looked so bright. Studying abroad was such a big deal to most Afghans not only on account of the cost that it entailed but also of the social prestige that went with it. My family then was living in a place called Macaroyain Community, a modern European-style, five-storey apartment complex in a three-square mile area complete with all the modern amenities. My family had high hopes for me and I felt like an adult with so many relatives sending me off the night before my departure. My brother had left for America two years earlier and even if I had never been away from my family for just a single night, I was unfazed. I had my brother to count on. I was jolted by culture shock the moment I arrived at the San Francisco airport. Nothing resembled anything that I was used to back in Kabul. The exposure I had had to American culture through the movies I watched back home and through the American friends of my uncles who came to Kabul hardly helped. Although I did well in high school in Afghanistan, I realized that the technical English I knew would not take me far. It was not even sufficient to enable me to convey my ideas correctly. To cope, I used to carry a Dari-English dictionary with me wherever I went. I must have been an unusual sight having to rehearse in my head what I wanted to say and, when at a loss for the right word, I would frantically scan my dictionary. It was so comforting for me whenever the fellow I was speaking to would be considerate enough to wait as I groped for the correct word. It felt so embarrassing to be holding up the line at the grocery store or in the convenience store. The majority would wait sympathetically while a few would show their impatience and irritation by ill-concealed gestures. Basic differences between English and Dari worsened matters. Robson and Lipson highlights the difficulties of Afghans in their observation that â€Å"Dari and Pashto both put direct objects before the verb (John Mary saw), whereas in English, we put direct objects after the verb (John saw Mary). † (Cross-cultural Adjustments and Challenges,Grammar) At the same time, I also had trouble with â€Å"th† sounds, like â€Å"th† as in thank and this, and with the distinction between w and v as in wine and vine. † (Pronunciation) My difficulties with English pronunciation and the frustration I felt when I could not be understood increased my homesickness. It also heightened my awareness of being different, my being a foreigner, my being from another culture. I truly wanted to be assimilated into American culture. Try as I did, my efforts seemed to backfire. Instead of making me blend into American culture, my persistent attempts to speak the English language like an American made me so self-conscious of my â€Å"otherness† that I often had the feeling that I was in effect isolating myself. Fortunately, most Americans I made contact with had the patience to adjust to my language difficulties. Perhaps, the fact that America is the melting pot of almost all cultures around the world made my problems very commonplace. With a lot of people of different nationalities arriving in America as tourists or immigrants, it is no longer uncommon for Americans to encounter people from different cultures. Looking back, I realize that I found strength in being with students from other countries when I started taking English as a Second Language course at Heald College. There were also Asians who, like me, were doing their best to get assimilated in the American way of life. Aside from this motley group of foreign students, the small community of Afghan students in the Bay Area offered some kind of psychological crutch. I was given a lot of advice and tips about how to go about with my new life in America. Their suggestions, though well-meant, ended up confusing me as some turned out to be contradictory. For example, a few advised that I should discreetly try to make inconspicuous my Afghan traits when I am with Americans in order to get assimilated quickly. On the other hand, others would say, it is pointless to hide my Afghan origins as it would always show up in one form or another. I attended school all day and spent the nights and week-ends working as a busboy and then as a waiter in a restaurant close to our apartment. Every Sunday afternoon, an uncle would take me to Alameda City to play volleyball with friends who are mostly Afghans themselves. After the game, we would go to a restaurant and have dinner together. This was a welcome treat for me. In their company, I was able to relax and have a good time. I didn’t have to exert extra effort to reach out to another culture. I felt at home and the feeling of belongingness was such great comfort.

Testing in Educational Facilities Essay -- Learning Test Tests Argumen

Testing in Educational Facilities A puddle of saliva covers my book as I wake up to the buzzing of my alarm. Oh no! My head was heavy and waking up was not something I wanted to do, especially when I realized that I fell asleep while I was studying for my chemistry test. I had fifteen minutes to get ready for school. At that point showering was not going to be my priority. I had fifteen minutes to memorize as much information as I possibly could. But I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, in fact, merely impossible. So, I threw on my clothes, grabbed a piece of gum, and tossed my books into my bag. Today was not going to be a good day. Since the day we are born we are watched. We are observed, then analyzed, and then soon tested. All of these things are simply done for our own good. They are there to make sure that we, as children, are off on the right start. But, at what age does it turn bad? When testing gives us the wrong ideas about competitiveness, when testing is used to compare us to others, and when testing puts unnecessary pressures and stress on us, it is no longer good as a whole. Because of these reasons, and many more, testing in educational facilities is detrimental to the learning process. On the opposing side, testing is not looked upon to be detrimental to the learning process. Some even consider it to be crucial to learning. Testing is often considered to be used simply as a measure of progress throughout the progression of learning. Some people view testing and grading as a motivation to allow students to strive to be the best and push to be better than those around them. Some people even believe that testing and grading is an important tool to prepare some students for the real world. S... ...ntage of there education is a gift. And with this gift I want to make it a celebration. Every student in America should no longer have to worry about there academic standing but rather there intellect and intelligent piece of mind. Learning has gotten to the point where it no longer is encouraging but rather discouraging. And I am no longer going to just sit around and watch it happen. I was once part of it, and I will not be part of letting it go on. Learning is an important factor of this world, and if we wont settle for bad grades, then why should be settle for bad learning habits. Works Cited Hillocks, Jr, George. The Testing Trap: How Assessments Control Learning. New York, NY, 2002 Henning-Stout, Mary. Responsive Assessment. San Francisco, CA,1994 Gellman, Estelle. School Testing: What Parents and Educators Need to Know.Westport, CT 1995

Terrorism vs. Revolutionary

Terrorists and revolutionaries are on two sides of a wide, prominent schism. While both a terrorist and a revolutionary wish to create pivotal change, terrorists use violence nondescriptly to influence those around them, whereas revolutionaries value the process of achieving their goal as well as the goal itself. Terrorism is a word that seems to permeate modern media. Not a day goes by that the average American hears of the activities of a terrorist group halfway around the world. It’s easily observed that we dislike terrorists.In the context of American politics, we don’t dislike them so strongly just for their push for religious conservatism, but rather for their violent and random attacks against innocent civilians. They are radically hateful toward their ideological enemies. Which is not a relatively uncommon concept – however, terrorism has the word ‘terror’ at its core for a reason. A terrorist like Osama bin Laden, for whatever motive, wishes to affect the world politically by terrifying people into some sort of action.In the field of political science, this is the definition, and historically it has been used the same way. Terrorists don’t care how many people are injured by their actions. If anything, they encourage it, because that will attract more attention to their cause. And change does occur, too. For example, in pre-9/11 days, there was little security in airports. Now citizens have to submit to government agencies like the TSA searching them for harmful non-regulation items – everything from guns to medium-sized bottles of shampoo.Unlike revolutionaries, there are even different sub-groups of terrorism. Eco-terrorism, a new term come to light, describes someone with environmentalist motives using violent actions to urge the government to be environmentally friendly. Such instances include threats to blow up bridges or dams that cause damage to nearby ecosystems. Environmentalist and eco-friendly views are not out of the ordinary – but threatening to explode a bridge certainly is. Terrorists are otherwise referred to as extremists, because their methods of inciting change are very extreme indeed.News stories of terrorists usually involve attempted harm to civilians through bombs and explosives, whether through the mail, or underneath cars, or within an airplane thousands of feet into the atmosphere. If anyone else wanted to change politics in the US, a responsible citizen might pass around a petition – but not a terrorist. The only want to change the world in ways that harm others and cause needless violence. Revolutionaries, on the other hand, do not believe that the ends justify the means. Thinking of revolutionary figures, people like Isaac Newton, or Ralph W.Emerson come to mind. These are people who desired to change their world and did so – creating pivotal alterations and thereby becoming immortal in their various fields. They aren’t called terrorists because they didn’t behave like terrorists. Their effect on the world was done peaceably and with no violent intent whatsoever. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. is seen as a potent revolutionary in civil rights. In an effort to dispel the injustice he saw toward his people in America, he held famous demonstrations throughout the south.These demonstrations are mot famous because they were violent or destructive; on the contrary, King put an emphasis on non-violent civil protest. He was a revolutionary anti-segregation figure, and not a terrorist, because he did not use extreme and violent methods to get his views across. In conclusion, although both revolutionary figures and terrorist have high ambition to change current policy and perception; however, terrorists use violent and injurious ways to get attention whereas revolutionaries have peaceful means to acquire a goal.

Benjamin Franklin As A Representation Of The Enlightenment

Wade Cobb Dr. Boeninger DWC 201 19 October 2015 Benjamin Franklin as a Representation of the Enlightenment The Enlightenment was largely a rational response to the 16th and 17th century Scientific Revolution, as well as major developments in philosophical thinking, such as ideas proposed by Rene Descartes. During the Enlightenment, thinkers emphasize rational and critical ways of thinking, rather than the complete reliance on religion that had been previously accepted. In many ways, Benjamin Franklin was the human embodiment of the Age of Enlightenment. Similarly to the Enlightenment as a time period, Benjamin Franklin is influenced by, but strays from his upbringing in a strict Puritan context in order to establish beliefs based on reason and the scientific method. Franklin used highly thought out and methodological techniques for deciding things from a daily schedule all the way to his views on morality and virtue. He was a life long learner, and like the Age of Enlightenment itself, he put reason as the ultimate factor for know ledge and decision-making. Corresponding to the Enlightenment, Franklin was affected by his Christian background. His parents were devout Puritans, and being raised in their household, the Christian outlook left its mark on certain aspects of Franklin’s beliefs. For example, in his letter to the Yale University President Ezra Stiles in 1790 reveals an important commonality in his beliefs in relation to Puritan, and other Judeo-ChristianShow MoreRelatedThe British Enlightenment And The American Revolution1538 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Revolution was a product of the British Enlightenment as well as both American and British history. The Enlightenment was age of innovation taking place during the 17th and 18th centuries. 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