Cultural Exchange

Afghanistan native Angela Amiri, like many international students, was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of volunteering in the city of Richmond in a language and culture unfamiliar to her in order to fulfill a course requirement. But several weeks into the experience, she and most of her peers agreed that volunteering benefitted them by improving their English and helping them gain a better understanding of American culture.

Dr. Nuray Luk Grove, director of ESL services, understands her international students' anxiety as they try to adapt to life in America. As a young woman, she left her native Turkey to attend graduate school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

"I had no idea what the United States would be like other than what I'd seen on 'The Young and the Restless' episodes," Grove said. "I went through a bad culture shock. The most difficult thing was making friends, because I didn't know how to communicate with Americans."

Grove teaches two community-based learning classes—English Communication in Cultural Context and Academic Writing in English as a Second Language—that help students overcome their culture shock by engaging them in the community.

Last semester, Grove’s students volunteered with children living in an economically disadvantaged Northside Richmond neighborhood, which has for several years been home to Build It, a community-outreach initiative coordinated by the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement. They served as tutors, mentors, and fitness coaches at nonprofits and public schools.

"Community-based learning fulfills two goals," Grove said."It shows my students a different aspect of American culture than what they experience on campus, and it teaches them how to communicate in a meaningful way with Americans, including how to use slang."

Students wrote papers and made presentations connecting their volunteer experiences to their classroom studies on American history and culture. Several commented on the different attitudes toward education in the United States and their native countries.

"The students are very friendly and active," said Jiangping Li of China. "They can disrupt the teacher at any time to ask questions. In China, we just listen; we don't ask questions."

"In China we always focus on getting a better grade, not on our dreams," Zhou Sichong said. "These children dream about what they want to be when they grow up—football players, generals, dancers. They are encouraged to be different, imaginative."

Through volunteering, the international students confronted some of America's entrenched social problems.

"My recent experience as a volunteer at Thomas H. Henderson Middle School proves that the dividing line between races still exists," wrote Jorge Mallén Julve of Spain.

"I saw with my own eyes that not all Americans are rich and attend good schools," said Amiri, who wore her native Afghan dress for her final presentation to the class. "People here have some of the same problems as people in my country."

Despite some of these common problems, Amiri and her peers remained upbeat about their learning outcomes and those of the children with whom they worked.

"We taught each other," Nanapat Tungtratrakul said of the two young girls she tutored. "I had the opportunity to tell them about Thailand, and I learned from them about their culture."

Photograph: Dr. Nuray Grove on left with student Angela Amiri of Afghanistan on right