Monday, February 4, 2008

Body language blundering and more

Hiya!
That's Devonshire speak for "hello". So here I am still in Exeter, trying to find my feet, so to speak, but I think I still feel like I am constantly falling over, tripping, bumping into things, all in an effort to just have some normal-feeling, comfortable interactions with people. A big part of it, I am learning, is learning how to read gestures, body language, and facial expressions, not so much the spoken words themselves, as I stated last time. Right, the major cultural differences in respect to communication, between USers (aka Americans, but I hate calling us Americans when there are two entire continents called America, and thus two entire continents full of people who are Americans!) and the English is in nonverbal communication. So I have stopped reacting to people who, when I am speaking to them, are looking at me with an expression that I would normally interpret as "My God this girl is crazy and I do not understand a word she is saying", because I am beginning to understand that the English ALWAYS have that expression on their faces. It is a natural national defense mechanism which is really indicative of thoughts like "Oh My God I hope she doesn't ask me anything personal. Please go away please go away please go away!". Basically, as my friend Keith says, the English are shy. Which doesn't make it very easy to get to know them. But then I wonder how they are interpreting my own body language...

Otherwise, lots of new experiences...that field course on Cuba that I am helping Ian and Keith to teach had its first meeting, and it was a blast. I was so nervous beforehand that I think Keith was going to kill me, but it went really well. The class will basically be constructed by the students themselves with us facilitating the experience, so they have to research Cuba, get contacts, and develop methodologies in collectives, and then develop small research projects together that they will then present when the class goes there in complete and present in Cuba in April. I wish I had had a field course experience like this as an undergraduate!

I continue to be incredibly impressed by the Geography Department here at Exeter--it and everyone in it is so dynamic--there is always something going on, a reading group, a seminar, or some other activity where people are debating, learning, and interacting with each other. The result is that I am being exposed to so much that I am already integrating into my own PhD project. That was why I came, no? It's great.

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday, and I do hope the candidates can stop badmouthing each other for at least a day, and say something that matters. I am following the elections from here, and it is so tiresome and uninspiring watching how some of them are constantly looking for some other weak point to attack in the others. I wish they would realize that really, we would be so much more inspired to vote for them if they would speak sincerely on real problems with some ideas that might work. That is what I want to hear and consider. But it is hard to sort it all out with this bullshit they are throwing at each other. And the media doesn't help.

Okay, I am done ranting. Hope all is well.
H.

3 comments:

Joe Kearns said...

Heather, it is so nice to hear about your travels. I've said it before, but it feels like I'm the one traveling while reading your blog. Keep up the good writing!

Heather Putnam said...

Thanks, Joe! I am glad to know that you enjoy it...I hope all is well with you there in L-town...

Anonymous said...

Well said.