Expanding your Horizons:

Conversational Skills in a New Culture

When students make the decision to study a language in a foreign country they usually
don't think about how to fully exploit the opportunity for their optimal benefit. There are
many interesting and exhilarating ways to get actively involved in the new culture and to
make the most of your overseas travel experience. By following a few simple sugges-
tions, you will be able to maximise your integration into your host culture and make the
most of your learning opportunities. Particularly, I would like to give students some rec-
ommendations on how to practice their conversational skills and explore their new cul-
ture within a Canadian context.

One common mistake that international students make is to enrol in an English class
and then to think that all English learning takes place in the classroom. This is a very lim-
ited or restricted view of learning. My advice is that you see the "world as your class-
room". What I mean by that is that you should use every available opportunity to expand
your repertoire of English usage and expose yourself to a range of speaking scenarios.
This suggestion requires that you open your mind to new ideas about learning and that
you play an active role in exploring your new culture. Another essential ingredient in this
equation is that you take risks. Active risk-taking is crucial to help you achieve your lan-
guage goals. Instead of sitting quietly not taking any chances for fear of making mis-
takes, why not "give it a shot" (take a chance and try your best)? The only thing that
might happen is that you might make a mistake. Actually, one of the best methods of
learning is by recognising and examining our mistakes. If you don't take the initiative,
you will never even know whether or not you could have had a successful language ex-
change.

There are myriad ways that you can take the initiative and explore your new culture. I
think that you should try to take a personal interest course. Most Canadian cities have a
variety of facilities that offer a wide range of recreational activities and special interest
courses. The spectrum of ideas here is as diverse as you, as individuals, are. There are
courses in volleyball, flower decorating, wall climbing, pottery, painting, drama, tennis,
dance, computers, interior design, automotive repairs, swimming, canoeing, skiing, and
horseback riding, just to name a few. As you can see, whatever your personal interests
are, there is probably a course or activity for you. This is an excellent way to "kill two
birds with one stone". Taking a special interest class allows you to study something that
you are interested in, and also to get the social interaction of meeting new people and
talking to them about a topic that is mutually intriguing for both of you.

Another piece of advice that I would like to offer is to actively explore your new culture. It
is a good idea to check the local weekend newspaper to find out what is happening in
your community. Make a list of places you would like to visit, activities you want to do
and special events such as movies, theatre performances, festivals, fairs, free lectures
and seminars, concerts, etc. After you have written out your list, post it in a highly visible
place like on your refrigerator door or on your desk. To actively encourage yourself to do
these activities, set a goal for yourself and then follow it. You might choose to try one
new activity once every week or once every month, depending on how much free time
you have. Then, when you actually do the things on your list, try to get the most possible
benefit out of the experience by interacting and speaking to people while you're at the
site.

Watching sit-coms and the TV news are also excellent ways to learn about the cultural
values of your new environment and to keep abreast of current events in your new coun-
try and city. I suggest that you find one situational comedy that you enjoy and follow it
every week during your stay. These thirty-minute television programs are a very effective
way to challenge your listening skills and a great way to expand your understanding and
use of commonly used idioms. Another advantage is that many people like to discuss
the characters and plot of these hilarious weekly episodes on the bus, train, and in of-
fices, classrooms and lunchrooms around the country. If you are also following a popular
sit-com, you are creating opportunities for yourself to actively contribute to and partici-
pate in a conversation. The TV news holds a similar purpose. People often discuss cur-
rent events at the local, national and international level. Actually, there are always sto-
ries in the news about a scandal, war, accident, new discovery or invention that captures
people's attention. If you also follow the news, you will build up your vocabulary and
thereby equip yourself with the words and ideas necessary to participate in a discussion
about current events.

There are hundreds of other things that you can do to help you learn a new language
and understand the cultural milieu of your new home. The aforementioned recommen-
dations are only possible alternatives that you should try to explore during your stay.
One common thread connecting all of these suggestions is you! You are the one who is
responsible for making the most of your opportunities and trying to get involved. Re-
member... keep an open mind and don't be afraid to take chances. The more that you
expose yourself to new people, places and activities, the more likely you are to feel at
home in a land that may at first seem like another planet, strange and unfamiliar.

I) Put a “T” if the statement is true. Put an “F” if the statement is false.

Ex Example: The title of the passage is "Expanding Horizons: Conversational Skills in

a New Culture.”

1. Learning without risk-taking substantially reduces your chances of success. T

2. Enrolling in English classes should provide you with all the necessary language skills.
F

3. These suggestions for language learning would only be useful in Canada. F

4. Making mistakes significantly slows down your learning progress. F

II) Answer the following questions. Short answers are acceptable.

1. What does "this" refer to in the second sentence of paragraph 2? The idea of enrol in
an English class and think that all English learning will be happening in the class-
room.

2. What are two ways you could arm yourself with interesting ways to strike up conver-
sation with people around you? Take a personal interest course and and actively ex-
plore your new culture like making a list with activities and places that you would like
to do or explore.

3. What are “sit-coms"? It’s a comedy tv show like Friends or Seinfeld.

4. What idiom in paragraph 2 means "take a chance a chance and try your best”?
Means try and practices to improve your skill.

5. What are five examples of physical activities that you could pursue? Photography,
reading club, baking, painting and knit.

6. In your owns words, interpret this sentence from paragraph 3: "The spectrum of
Ideas here is as diverse as you are”. Everyone has their owns interest and hobbies,
so there are a lot activities to do.

7. In the last paragraph, why does the writer compare the student's new culture to an-
other planet? Because when you start living in a new culture sometimes you can feel
everything so different like another planet.

8. What two language benefits could take a special interest course provides you with?
Get social interaction to improve your language skills and study something that you
are interested in.

9. What does the idiom “kill two birds with one stone” in paragraph 3, mean? Means
solve two problems with only one action.

10. From the context of paragraph 1 , what do you think "optimal" means. Get fast and
better results.

Name: Nora Sanchez.

Date: Oct 12, 2023