McKenzie- CP- 6

Elly and I went to Sunberry for Frozen Yogurt today after she was done with classes at CIES. I asked her if she had witnessed any cultural clashes since she has been here, or had any issues that involved cultural differences. I was shocked with the story that followed! She told me that last week, a friend and her were on one of the FSU buses speaking in Chinese. The girl in the seat in front of them turned around and with a really mean tone and face, hissed at them to “stop speaking f***ing Chinese because this is America. I hate the f***ing Chinese.” Elly and her friend didn’t respond, and Elly said she was really upset for the rest of the day! I told her this was so strange because typically, opinions about Asian Americans or Asian stereotypes are very positive! I told her some good stories of me getting called a gringo in Ecuador and feeling out of place. Other than that, Elly has not had any problems though.

We talked about differences in schooling culture. Elly said she was shocked the first time she heard a student correct a teacher at CIES. In Taiwan, you are never allowed to oppose the teacher, even if you know they are incorrect. Also, you are not allowed to speak up in Taiwanese classes. Teachers lecture, and students memorize; that is all they do. I explained that classes here are more interactive.

Elly passed her driver’s test and got a driver’s license, but is starting to really worry about the TOEFL exam in November. There is a lot of pressure on her because if she doesn’t pass, she has to return to Taiwan, and she really wants to stay in Tallahassee for two more years. So much stress because of one exam!