Second week together with Skype
Hi everybody.
This week I skyped with an American woman, Nichole.
It was the first time I had skyped with her (we start skyping one week ago).
Our conversation made me reflect on the role recycling plays in New Orleans and in culture in general.
Nichole told me that New Orleans has lots of problems and, honestly, recycling is not the main one. So, because of the fact that her city is very engaged with rebuilding, environmental questions take second place.
As she rightly said, people focus their attention on houses because financial incentives are not enough and if they want to start living again they have to gird up their loins.
I wanted to ask her some questions, such as” How can a city or a country plan its reconstruction without paying attention to the environment?” or “Why in the Internet we found out the existence of an environmental plan while you said to me that no measure has been taken, excepting separate collection at university?".
I hadn’t the heart to do it because she probably replied that I couldn’t understand the gravity of the situation since I live in the Northern Italy where everything is ok or that theory and practice have a different meaning.
However, she recognized the importance of recycling and explained to me that we can change people’s thinking with practical actions rather than with advertising campaigns.
I think that everything is useful if we are able to coordinate it with real interests and efforts made to solve a problem.
Culture definitions refer to “awareness”: it is, in my opinion, the essential step that everyone should do before adopting a realistic approach.
Skype is a rich opportunity for language and culture.
As Sarah affirmed, these two fields are highly related and we can’t separate them.
Only thanks to the knowledge of a culture we can find out the peculiarities of a language.
And recycling means respecting your culture…
Skyping pushes me to enrich my vocabulary because, at first, my aim was that of speaking with a native in order to improve my English; now, I want to communicate, convey ideas and for doing so, I must express myself in a more appropriate way.
I don’t want American students to say that the Italians are indolent students without critical competences and a superficial knowledge of their culture!
What will happen with my third skype experience?
Who knows! Don’t worry, see you next week with all the details.
Francesca
This week I skyped with an American woman, Nichole.
It was the first time I had skyped with her (we start skyping one week ago).
Our conversation made me reflect on the role recycling plays in New Orleans and in culture in general.
Nichole told me that New Orleans has lots of problems and, honestly, recycling is not the main one. So, because of the fact that her city is very engaged with rebuilding, environmental questions take second place.
As she rightly said, people focus their attention on houses because financial incentives are not enough and if they want to start living again they have to gird up their loins.
I wanted to ask her some questions, such as” How can a city or a country plan its reconstruction without paying attention to the environment?” or “Why in the Internet we found out the existence of an environmental plan while you said to me that no measure has been taken, excepting separate collection at university?".
I hadn’t the heart to do it because she probably replied that I couldn’t understand the gravity of the situation since I live in the Northern Italy where everything is ok or that theory and practice have a different meaning.
However, she recognized the importance of recycling and explained to me that we can change people’s thinking with practical actions rather than with advertising campaigns.
I think that everything is useful if we are able to coordinate it with real interests and efforts made to solve a problem.
Culture definitions refer to “awareness”: it is, in my opinion, the essential step that everyone should do before adopting a realistic approach.
Skype is a rich opportunity for language and culture.
As Sarah affirmed, these two fields are highly related and we can’t separate them.
Only thanks to the knowledge of a culture we can find out the peculiarities of a language.
And recycling means respecting your culture…
Skyping pushes me to enrich my vocabulary because, at first, my aim was that of speaking with a native in order to improve my English; now, I want to communicate, convey ideas and for doing so, I must express myself in a more appropriate way.
I don’t want American students to say that the Italians are indolent students without critical competences and a superficial knowledge of their culture!
What will happen with my third skype experience?
Who knows! Don’t worry, see you next week with all the details.
Francesca
posted by Fedora @ 8:14 AM
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