When completing the form for the Language Partners program, I wrote that I was a Spanish-learner (I am a Spanish minor) looking to pair with a native Spanish-speaker, so we could improve our Spanish and English foreign language skills simultaneously. Hence my surprise when I was instead paired with 2 Chinese grad students and one Japanese law student. Although unexpected, these brief glimpses into their lives and cultures through weekly check-ins and conversations have taught me a lot thus far.
My Japanese language partner and I have bonded over our mutual ambivalence over Disney, one Chinese girl and I have lamented over the recruiting processes for summer internships and my other Chinese partner and I watched our first college football game together. It is through these shared moments and experiences that we have found the common ground between us and built a mutual friendship.
There are, of course, the differences, and through these we are able to learn more about each others’ culture and perspectives. I have been taught some Japanese and Mandarin, which mirror some of the tones present in the Vietnamese language. I have been educated on cultural norms and passions like k-pop, the best places to eat in Shanghai and the college academic system in Japan. These are the qualitative things that are so interesting to learn about from a person whose life and society these arise from.
What have i learned? I have learned that we are all here at Duke, coming together from all parts of the world because we are ambitious, driven, intelligent people, and after our course finishes we will depart back into the unknown and separate, our perspectives that little bit more enhanced by each other. I have learned that the way we see the world is entrenched in our upbringing and where we find ourselves, but is malleable and can be manipulated easily if we let it. I have learned that Gyotaku is not authentic (but I think we all already knew that). And finally, I have learned to listen, because through listening and understanding, we can incorporate other people’s ideas and perceptions into our own.
Ling Jin
Thanks, Adrianna, for sharing your experiences with your language partners so far! I’m very glad to hear that you have formed connections and friendships with your language partners even though you originally wanted to be paired with Spanish speakers.
I appreciate that you shared about the importance of listening and understanding, and they are truly two of the most important strategies when we engage across cultures. I’m looking forward to reading more about examples of how you practice listening for understanding in real-life situations!