Around 4 p.m., our flight finally arrived in Chicago. After more than ten hours'flight, although physically exhausted, our spirit was attracted by this novelty. Everyone took out their mobile phones to take pictures of English slogans on the roadside, which were different from Chinese cars, and then eagerly headed home. People transmit pictures to inform them of their safe arrival. We arrived at the school by car, and it was very late. We quickly packed our luggage and went to sleep
When I woke up in the morning, the sun was shining on my room. Through my hazy eyes, I realized that I was in another country. The accommodation of the school is very good, with spacious and bright living room and kitchen, clean and tidy room and bathroom. We can also get to the laundry through the corridor. There are washing machines and dryers in the laundry, so that I don't have to worry about the drying of clothes when I don't have many clothes.
The dormitory (Panther Village) we live
In the morning, we successfully met with students from Brazil, Nicaragua and Saudi Arabia and exchanged their names, grades and hobbies. In the afternoon, we took Chris's yellow car to the local supermarket and shopping mall to buy what we need.
The school bus
After a day, everyone seems to have adapted to the school life. This morning, a group of people with a small umbrella, breathing the smell of green grass on the campus, embarked on the journey of browsing the campus. We started from the dormitory, and first went to the teaching building near the dormitory to gather, the teaching building is clean and bright, beside the table tennis. The table attracted our attention. As China's national ball, how can we not come here? Laughter and laughter spread, and a tense and exciting table tennis match began.
Shortly afterwards, we met two local students. Under their leadership, we began to visit the campus. It is known that the University of Northern Iowa is a top-ranking public university in the United States. The first batch of Sino-American degree recognition universities of the Ministry of Education of China. American public Ivy League institutions, the International Business School AACSB certification of one of the earliest accreditation institutions. There are many kinds of majors, which can meet the needs of most students. There are more than 14,000 students in the school, which was founded in 1876. Located in the west of the metro area in northeastern Iowa
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First we went to the sports center, basketball hall, rugby hall, gymnasium, rock climbing hall. We deeply experienced the colorful sports life of local students.
Next, we went to the student activity center, the library, the bell tower and other places. The ancient architectural style and modern educational facilities complemented each other, which set off the campus life with profound culture but keeping pace with the times.
School gym
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Chris based on our respective cultural intelligence assessment reports, let us better understand their strengths and weaknesses, so as to develop the direction of efforts to achieve more accurate and fluent communication with people of different cultures in different countries. Through this study, we found our own shortcomings, in order to better meet and continue this exchange of learning activities, each of us is more active in learning, and more foreign students to talk, and constantly improve ourselves.
CIEP's Japanese and Colombian students introduced their country and culture. In their introduction, we learned that Japan is located in East Asia and the country's name means Sunrise Country, with a total area of 378,000 square kilometers. The main ethnic group is the Dahe ethnic group, which uses Japanese and has a total population of about 126 million.
Colombia is located in the northwest of South America. Latin America has a medium level of economic development, a high degree of marketization and rich natural resources. Coal, oil and emerald are the main mineral deposits.
Colombia's clothes have local characteristics. Large hats and black-and-white coats soon attracted the students' attention. With the help of Colombian students, the students smoothly put on their clothes and took beautiful pictures.
On Tuesday morning, Dr. Russell Guay gave us a lecture on leadership, which struck me deeply: first, as a leader, you have to be passionate. Second, execution determines success or failure. Leaders must have executive power, no executive power, any good plan is empty talk. Third, forward-looking Fourth, motivation: Leaders must have the ability to motivate partners to work hard and contribute, so as to achieve team goals. Leaders should be good at influencing the will and behavior of others. Master high-intensity, high decibel speaking skills.
Negotiations need a spirit of cooperation. It is important to make some compromises at a certain time. Competition is also very important because the goal of negotiations is to strive for the greatest interests for themselves under the circumstances of win-win cooperation. Of course, adapting to the overall situation as soon as possible can bring more confidence and courage to participants. Often, when we negotiate, we are overwhelmed by the difficulty of controlling the situation, and eventually lose the best interests we can get. Teachers tell us that for negotiators, they are all for the best interests, so we must be confident and do enough homework before negotiation, and the more information we know about each other, the better for us.
We visited the KRYTON WETALS factory, which is a metal processing plant. In the factory, we saw different metal objects manually and mechanically processed, and touched different metal textures in different processes
Today, I have learned a lot of negotiation theory and skills in class. I have to say that this is a very interesting course because we have personally experienced how to negotiate effectively. In the classroom, the students were divided into two groups, one group joined company alpha and the other group joined company beta. Alpha is a robotic company, while Beta is a supplier of robotic parts. I was assigned to the company beta. In the negotiation process, we all try our best to win the best interests of the company, including deception and providing false information to make concessions. The whole negotiation process is very rich and interesting, and we can still enjoy it after that. The final result is that both sides have achieved satisfactory results
Through this course, I think negotiation is an art. Negotiators'language skills play a very important role in negotiation. Negotiation is an art of expression. The success of the negotiation is the result of the full use of language exchanges by the negotiating parties.
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Say goodbye to the museum and finally come to dinner time. We went to the Cherry Blossom Japanese Steak House for dinner. The chef's acting way of serving kept our eyes open.
In the afternoon, volunteer at the North Iowa Food Bank. After some explanation, I realized that the food bank here serves homeless people, beggars and people in need.Although this is only a small thing, but these small things together, we can make the goal of end hunger go a step further.I hope that after the end of this trip, we can also do some volunteers in our hometown to help the local poor people and make donations as much as we can.
Time came in the afternoon, and finally it was Brazilian cultural activities. Through Davi, Akemi and Luisa's all-round patience on Brazilian culture, I deeply felt that the students who were in the same classroom with themselves originally came from such a beautiful country.
After the speech, we tasted the representative cuisine of Brazil. It can be said that Brazil is totally different from China in terms of cultural background, climate, region and food. My Brazilian classmates taught us how to dance locally, and I felt the enthusiasm of the Brazilians. The most intense is the game of grabbing a stool at last. Everyone follows the music and tenses his nerves. Finally, the students of our country won the final victory. The Brazilian students gave him a special gift as a reward.
Together, we launched a group of speeches on Sustainable development. Sustainable development is a kind of development with equal opportunities and benefits. It includes not only the balanced development between regions within the same generation, that is, the development of one region should not be at the expense of harming the development of other regions, but also the balanced development between generations, that is, to meet the needs of contemporary people without harming the development ability of future generations. The principle holds that all generations of human beings are in the same living space. They have the same right to enjoy the natural resources and social wealth in this space. They should have the same right to live. Therefore, poverty eradication has been raised as an important issue in sustainable development, and priority should be given to it. People in all countries, regions and generations should be given equal rights to development.
This afternoon is a Chinese cultural activity prepared and organized by ourselves. In the process of preparing for this cultural event, seven of us made our own efforts. Suggestions have been made, some people want to play games, some organize games, and others prepare PPT speeches. We have a clear division of labour and are united. For my part, I am very happy to have the opportunity to show you the history, achievements and advantages of Chinese sports through PPT speeches in front of friends from all over the world.
Of course, in addition to the speech and game links, the final tasting of Chinese cuisine is equally exciting and can not be missed. The delicacy of dumplings and fried rice, accompanied by the different language of China's rising and falling praise, directly pushed the whole cultural activities to a climax.
8 Understanding Nicaraguan Culture &Watching Baseball Matches
Today it's Nicaragua's turn for cultural exchanges. Once again, I knew very little about Nicaragua, or even what continent it was on. But fortunately, Kelvin showed us the beautiful and moving side of the country. Through his speech, we learned that Nicaragua is a Republican presidential country, located in central Central America, Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America, and its capital is Managua. Of the population, 69% are of mixed Indo-European race. The official language is Spanish. The majority of the inhabitants are Catholic.
Understand the local culture and customs, local customs and customs. Kelvin showed us the traditional costumes of their country, and after the speech, we had a chance to experience their country's snacks and snacks.
Kelvin was the only Nicaraguan student in our team, so the presentation was prepared by him alone. However, his works are no less than the previous exhibitions of Brazilian and Chinese culture, which is also a point I admire very much.
We all went to watch the local baseball game together. The weather was fine, and although it was approaching dusk, the sky did not darken at all. The sky was clear for thousands of miles. We walked into the stadium with ticket-purchased snacks and drinks. There were still many local people waiting there. Everyone's face was filled with happiness and expectation. When we sat down, the mascot doll came up and said hello to us. We embraced it kindly and took pictures with it. With the announcement of the host, we first met each baseball player who participated in the game, and then the game officially began. Both teams were in a tense atmosphere. Although the sun had made them sweat like rain, they were still focused and did not miss any chance to win the game. Through this evening's baseball game, we not only learned about a sport that we had never touched before, but also appreciated the enthusiasm and love of the American people for baseball, and the spirit of the athletes. Happily, our home team Waterloo Bucks won the game that night! Baseball is a popular sport in China, but in the United States, it is a popular popular sport. It's very happy to watch a real baseball game with Hamburg Coke.
9 Spending A Leisurely Life in Chris's House
Today we are going to visit Chris's house. The Chris family is a traditional American building with yards, lawns and lakes. Teachers prepared canoeing and other lake sports, I played canoeing, I also like canoeing! Chris has prepared a whole roast pig. Whole head! We eat snacks, play games, roast sausages.. It's really a long day. I can't help but sigh that if it's my own weekend, I might just be sitting in bed watching a play one day. We should arrange more activities for ourselves and get out of bed.
Our activity is to visit and visit Mr. Chris's home. Teacher Chris's home is very big. In addition to a single villa, there is also a very large forest and a small lake. So it's enough to accommodate dozens of people coming at the same time. Unlike our busy study or visits, we had a comfortable day at Chris's home. In the morning, I tried to taste the hot dog sandwich I barbecued and made. In the afternoon, I played volleyball in the woods with my friends of 35 years and rowed in the lake. Tired of playing, he sat down to play chess and eat with his foreign friends. It can be said that the relaxation of the whole day made me forget the recent rush around, the fatigue of visiting factories, and the stress and anxiety that the examination should bring to me. Instead, I just put all my worries behind me and had a pure experience of family life with American characteristics.
10 Learning salsa dance & Creating our painting
We went to the school dance room and had Chris's barbecue dinner. Then we studied dancing with our teacher. At first, we crept along, but with a little skilled and pleasant music, we began to step on the beat freely and dance happily with our classmates. In China, we often dance, come to the dance classroom here, we deeply realize that dance can bring people happiness, not only that, dance is also part of cultural exchanges, although we have only been together for a short time, but we have gradually become more tacit from never knowing each other.
Chris asked us to make a homework that represents peace. Looking at the empty pillars, everyone has their own ideas. After thinking about it for a while, we all confidently picked up the brushes and put the colorful oil paintings on the stereo plate. In the process, everyone became very quiet and immersed in the joy of creation. Only the sound of the hair dryer echoes in the studio. It is hoped that through this painting, students will cherish the hard-won peaceful life, and that all countries in the world can maintain the current win-win situation of cooperation and achieve win-win cooperation.
11Manet and Modern Beauty Exhibition
From Art Institute of Chicago
The first Art Institute exhibition devoted exclusively to Édouard Manet in over 50 years focuses on the transformation of the artist’s style in his later years.
By the late 1870s, when this exhibition begins, Édouard Manet had become recognized as a painter of modern life. He had long looked to historical subjects and style for inspiration but in the 1870s grew more and more immersed in the now—eventually proposing a radical new alignment of modern art with fashionable femininity. While he continued to pursue highly finished, heroically scaled paintings intended for the Salon throughout these later years (a time also marked by health problems and limited mobility), he simultaneously approached smaller works more fluidly and spontaneously, taking up pastel and watercolor while unapologetically embracing beauty and visual pleasure.
This exhibition is the first to focus on this important period in the artist’s career, bringing together an impressive array of portraits of fashionable women—favorite actresses and models, bourgeois women of his acquaintance, and his wife—as well as intimate male friends. Among these are two striking paintings, one of the young model-actress Jeanne Demarsy and the other of his friend Méry Laurent. Called Jeanne (Spring) and Autumn (Méry Laurent), the pair comprises the only two completed works in a project to portray the seasons through paintings of stylishly attired women.
Supplementing this display are the delicate and rarely seen letters Manet wrote to his friends, featuring exquisite illustrations of fruits and flowers; garden pictures, which themselves often feature elegantly attired women; and flower studies, consummate expressions of Manet’s favorite subjects at the end of his life. Punctuating the presentation are large-scale multifigure paintings, including In the Conservatory and Boating, both shown in the 1879 Salon, which focus attention on modern social and gender relations. Together these works showcase both Manet’s responsiveness to the moment and the continual flowering of his artistry.
A short and memorable learning journey
From July 14th to August 6th, 2019, the Shanghai Summer School's 8-person summer course team went to the University of Northern Iowa in Chicago (including a good teacher) for a 24-day study, which achieved the expected goals and gained a lot. .The status of research during this period is reported in detail below.
Preparation for the preliminary work
After the list of team members was basically determined, we held a meeting on the same day, made some division of labor arrangements, established WeChat group, and established a preliminary contact mechanism.Subsequently, through the form of WeChat and e-mail, Chris and the team members and the University of Northern Iowa liaison Chris exchanged information and opinions in a timely manner.Two weeks before departure, the course group once again held a plenary session, and the team leader once again emphasized the safety of travel.It is forbidden to go out at night in the United States. You can't leave the team alone. Always keep in touch with the team.Through joint efforts, the course group was fully prepared and proceeded from Shanghai as scheduled.
uni course learning and practical exploration
On July 14, 2019, the US team arrived at the University of Northern Iowa.After we settled in, we started course learning, practical exploration and cultural exchanges.According to the arrangement of the University of Northern Iowa, our study courses are divided into cultural lectures, project reports, cultural exchange activities and other parts, classroom discussions and cultural tastings will be interspersed.After a three-week study, our classmates completed the task in time and actively participated in the activities arranged by the school, which was recognized by uni teachers and other students (students from Brazil, Nicaragua and Saudi Arabia).
6.2.1 Job completion
At the end of each day's class, we will need to send relevant paper assignments to the Chris mailbox that night.On the day the course ends, students can complete their assignments on their own and submit them to the teacher in a timely manner.According to the feedback, our class members completed these assignments in a timely and excellent manner, and the teachers also gave recognition and praise.
6.2.2 Practical activities
During our study at Northern Iowa University, our group participated in 18 cultural events (see appendix), including cultural exchanges, visiting companies, and visiting museums.Among these activities, we have five cultural inspections and visits, including farming and animal husbandry workshops, food research and development enterprises, mechanical processing enterprises, and logistics service enterprises.
In these days, we have a deeper understanding of American corporate culture.We also participated in 5 cultural exchanges, learned about the cultural characteristics of China, Brazil, Nicaragua, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other countries, established cross-cultural awareness, enhanced understanding of cultural differences, and promoted cultural exchange skills.In addition, we participated in eight different cultural salons, food tastings and gaming activities to learn more about cultural differences in practice.Especially on the day of making national specialties, the “chef chefs” of the course group have come up with their own good food, so that the students from all over the world can continue to admire and show the infinite charm of Chinese culture through food.
6.2.3 Learning Diary
During our study at the University of Northern Iowa, the course completed 28 papers (no less than 4 articles per person), 17 keynote presentations, 5 cultural presentations, and 105 individual English presentations. Diary (no less than 15 articles per person).The cultural exchange presentations that represent the image of China are particularly important. The students of the course group search for relevant materials day and night every night, and make presentations, and repeatedly discuss and modify to determine the final success.It will be sent to the team leader before 9:00 pm that day, and will be reviewed and revised by the team leader.Then, after the change, the team leader will send a work diary or report to the individual, share the WeChat group, make comments, make changes and add images, and then complete the draft after completion.In the second round, a working diary or report is co-written, and the follow-up process is the same as the first round.The writing of personal diaries and paper reports has greatly improved students' writing skills.
6.2.4 Attendance
According to Chris, a business school at the University of Northern Iowa, during the study period, the attendance rate of the class members reached 100% (except for illness), and there was no late or early leave.According to the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, the participants will arrive at least 10 minutes before each course or before going out. If there is any unexpected situation, the students will contact us via WeChat, SMS and telephone.In addition, the team leader will remind everyone every night of the schedule and set the alarm clock.Through this monitoring and reminding mechanism, we ensure that our members can complete the study plan on time.
Main gains
1 Enhance national identity
Although for most of the classmates, this time studying in uni is not the first time to go abroad.But their previous understanding of Western countries is still at a relatively shallow level.Through this cultural exchange, we all have a deeper understanding of Western culture.Cultural exchange is an important condition for the progress of world culture and an inherent requirement for promoting cultural globalization and diversity.Through our explanation of Chinese culture, students from all over the world have a more objective understanding of China.We have also contributed to the youthful power of Chinese culture to the world, and at the same time, we have enhanced our national pride and national identity.
2 Improve cross-cultural communication skills
Due to our long-term life in China, we have different levels of understanding of Chinese traditional culture.Students from countries such as Brazil, Nicaragua, Japan, and Saudi Arabia lack objective knowledge of China due to geographical restrictions.Through various forms of cross-cultural communication, our classmates have formed profound friendships with students from all over the world, and are deeply aware of the great significance of cultural diversity in promoting the prosperity and development of world culture.Through the exchange of learning in uni, our cross-cultural communication ability has been greatly improved.
3 Improve English proficiency
During his studies at UNI, Chris arranged a variety of courses and practical activities, and asked students from different countries to have a seat interval. Because students from Western countries are more outgoing, in daily course study and daily communication, our The English level has generally been greatly improved.The daily English diary and the coursework arranged by Chris have made our students' English writing level reach a higher level, and the amount of words has soared.In particular, keynote speeches and Chinese cultural performances not only improved the level of spoken English, but also improved the ability of students to speak.All in all, through this pure English learning environment, our students' English proficiency has been qualitatively improved.
Insufficient and recommended
Although our students have achieved great success during their uni studies, they have also shown many shortcomings, mainly in the following aspects.
6.4.1 English level still needs to be improved, especially at the oral level
Although Chinese students have English courses from the beginning of primary school, compared with Brazilian students who are not native speakers of English, the English level of our students is still far from the difference. On the one hand, the word size is seriously insufficient, on the other hand, it is practical. When the English speech ppt, English wording, grammatical syntax problems are exposed, especially the relatively introverted character of Chinese students, which greatly affects the improvement of English.In the exchanges with Brazilian and Saudi Arabian students, we learned that in the country they would use the mother tongue to teach, but in daily communication, they used to use English.
Therefore, in the study after returning to China, it is recommended that students use English more for daily communication.In addition, backing words and listening to English broadcasts can not only enrich the English vocabulary, but also further improve the English level, and reduce language barriers when communicating with international students in the future.Most importantly, Chinese students should overcome the characteristics of being too restrained and afraid of making mistakes, and actively and bravely participate in international exchanges. Only through this kind of oppressive learning can our English level be truly improved.
6.4.2 Classroom performance needs to be improved
Due to the lack of English level of our classmates and the limitation of professional vocabulary, the enthusiasm in class lectures is not very high, and there is less communication with professors, and often cannot understand the meaning of professors.In contrast, students from Brazil and Nicaragua are very active and have good interaction with teachers.However, in practice activities and cultural exchange activities, our students' enthusiasm is gradually improved, and they can actively participate in the activities of the organization.But in general, the enthusiasm in the classroom is not enough, and needs to be greatly improved.
In order to improve the performance of the classroom, we must overcome the fear of English, actively and bravely participate in the exchanges with teachers and students, worry that the words can not be said, the grammar is wrong, afraid to make mistakes, refuse to communicate is a manifestation of embarrassment.We must break this predicament and express it boldly. Even if we make a mistake, we can correct it in time. It is also a kind of growth.Secondly, students need to establish a proactive awareness of learning. We should realize that learning is for ourselves and is to improve our English and learning ability. It is meaningless and even a waste of this opportunity.
6.4.3 Insufficient capacity for environmental adaptation
Due to the great difference between China and the United States, our students have great problems in their study and life.It is necessary to overcome the physical discomfort caused by the lack of water and soil, and also to adapt to the American eating habits in a short period of time, which greatly affects the enthusiasm of our classmates in class performance.Although in the second week of study, our classmates have been able to adjust, but still have an impact on everyone's learning.
Therefore, when preparing for the work before departure, we should be aware of the possible effects of soil and water, and prepare allergic drugs in advance.As for the difference between Chinese and Western foods, it is difficult for everyone to adapt. We should insist on overcoming. After all, this is also part of cultural exchange.
6.4.4 Overcoming the impact of cultural differences
Cultural adaptation requires a process.Everyone who goes abroad for the first time will experience three stages: excitement, cultural collision and habit.After a brief excitement, everyone showed more confusion and unacceptableness to Western culture.When studying American social dance, because of the introverted personality of our classmates, we cannot adapt to the behavior of strangers who have physical contact.
Overcoming cultural differences requires us to understand for a long time, carefully understand and remove the cultural exclusivity inherent in the mind.The Chinese culture has a long history and benefits from the inclusiveness of Chinese culture. This is conducive to the exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures in the harmonious relationship and the enhancement of the understanding of foreign culture.The main purpose of this trip to the United States is to carry out cultural exchanges between China and the West. As part of the curriculum, we should actively overcome the influence of cultural differences and participate in the activities.
In short, our summer curriculum in the United States successfully completed the tasks assigned by the school, and the results were quite fruitful.From the students' satisfaction with the journey to study and exchange in the United States, they have opened up their horizons and gained friendship across nationality.This trip to the United States has made us realize the gap with the world's largest country. We also warn that we should always remember to study science and culture knowledge and contribute to the Chinese dream of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
No | Name | Gender | Major |
1 | HongYu | female | Economy and Finance |
2 | Yuhan Zhou | male | logistics management |
3 | Tingjun Zhu | female | Economy and Finance |
4 | Jiaqi Zhou | male | industrial engineering |
5 | Jingya Bao | female | International Economy and Trade |
6 | Ruhui Sheng | female | International Economy and Trade |
7 | Xinya Zhu | female | financial management |
No. | activity | date |
1 | First experience of campus trip | 2019.7.15 |
2 | cultural exchanges between Japan and Colombia, | 2019.7.16 |
3 | visits to Kryton Manufacturing Company | 2019.7.17 |
4 | cultural exchanges between Iran and Saudi Arabia | 2019.7.18 |
5 | Visit Target Food Distribution Company | 2019.7.19 |
6 | NE Iowa Food Bank Volunteer Service | 2019.7.22 |
7 | Watch American Baseball Match | 2019.7.22 |
8 | Brazilian Cultural Exchange | 2019.7.23 |
9 | Chinese Cultural Exchange Activities | 2019.7.24 |
10 | Cultural Exchanges in Nicaragua | 2019.7.25 |
11 | Experience of American Ranch Culture | 2019.7.26 |
12 | Visit the Agricultural Museum | 2019.7.27 |
13 | Experience American Ballroom Dance | 2019.7.27 |
14 | Experience American Rural Life | 2019.7.28 |
15 | American Cultural Exhibition and Communication Activities | 2019.7.29 |
16 | Visit North Iowa Capital | 2019.7.30 |
17 | Visit American Seal Ring Fastener Company | 2019.7.31 |
18 | commencement for completion of a non-degree training course | 2019.8.2 |
Remarks | All of the above local times are American time. | |
