Habits of the Heart: From Curiosity to Appreciation

Apart from the beauty of restored and picturesque temples and fortresses, lush green mountains covered in trees that I could not wait for autumn to turn into the colors of sunset, and the calm ocean surrounding the Korean Peninsula, my fascination for the east-Asian country had especially been driven by my curiosity about its people’s culture and traditions. My inconsistent binge-watching of modern K-Dramas (Drama series made in Korea, with the classic and overused “rich chaebol-heir falls in love with the poor girl leading to family drama” trope) had given me a glimpse of Korean culture and practices. And although it certainly increased my fascination and eagerness for Korea to be the destination of my exchange semester experience, until my arrival in Seoul, I remained oblivious to the historical events and hardships that had formed those practices that I had ever been so curious about.

It’s Swiss German!

My classes started around mid September 2023 and we had an orientation event for International students. It was then, we were introduced to the Swiss way of saying hello! And it was then when I realised that Switzerland is a country of its own having its own values, culture and even language! It was exciting. Especially for me, coming from India – I wasn’t familiar with high German either. All in all it was a fresh new experience for me.

Embracing Language Challenges: My Journey in Bern

Living in Bern for five months has been an incredible journey, marked by significant strides in my language proficiency, particularly in English and German. When I first arrived, I considered myself an intermediate speaker of English who is very likely to struggle in communicating with locals, but to my surprise, language barriers were minimal as English was widely spoken in Bern. This eased my transition and allowed me to focus on other aspects of settling in, such as familiarizing myself with the local system.

On Foreign Languages and Dialects

When I tell people that I am currently studying in the Bern, one of the first questions I get is, “Oh, so you learn in German? Or English? (Wait, Bern is not in the francophone part of Switzerland, right?)”

And after a beat of silence, my standard reply is, “You know what, it’s funny, I actually study both in German and English. (And yes, sometimes, the professors even sprinkle a sparkle of French in class!)”

Familiarizing the unfamiliar

“Put yourself in tough situations. Accept challenges. Familiarize yourself with the unfamiliar. That’s how you widen your perspective and your understanding.” said Ryan Holiday. When I moved to Switzerland to do my master’s degree here, I believe I put myself in a tough situation. I had to face different challenges like building a new social circle, learning the regulations and everyday of a different country, and adapting to the culture and language. I knew that it would be challenging but that I would also get used to it eventually.

Building new personalities by immersing myself in new languages

I speak Japanese, English, a little Swedish, and a little German. Japanese is my mother tongue. I studied English at school, but it was not enough to learn speaking skills, so during high school, I also attended an evening school for businesspeople. Living in Japan, I hardly had opportunities to speak in English. Unless you are very motivated to learn, it is almost impossible to reach the level of intermediate speakers in Japan. The very first time I started using English in my daily life was when I did an study exchange in Sweden back in 2019. There I learned a bit of Swedish too. After I came back to Japan from Sweden it was really difficult to maintain my English and Swedish skills.

Reflecting on food culture in Korea

I would like to talk about eating out in Korea, especially at restaurants. There are quite a few things that make the experience different from eating out in Switzerland. Firstly, the utensils are different. Instead of the usual forks and knives, you mostly get metal chopsticks and a spoon. Additionaly, you usually have to set your own table – there’s a little box with what you need for that. Now, to the food itself. In Korean restaurants, they often serve free side dishes like kimchi, rice, pickled vegetables, and sauces alongside your main order (and free water as well!). What’s really cool is that when you order, you don’t just get one dish for yourself. Instead, everyone at the table shares different dishes placed in the middle. So other than I am used to, there is no “main dish” for one person. On a side note: There is also a difference in the ordering process. Only one person talks to the waiter to order for everyone, so you’ve got to decide beforehand who’s doing that.

Europe in South Africa?

It has been a month since I arrived in South Africa to study at Stellenbosch University. Initially, I couldn’t help but notice how European Stellenbosch felt, which aligns with its history as the second oldest town in South Africa established by the Dutch. However, as weeks passed, I have come to realize that the cultural differences are more nuanced than they initially appear. In this blog post, I aim to briefly explore these differences, offering a glimpse into what one might expect when studying here.

The non-existent bus schedule on Oahu

The purpose of this blog is to write about a cultural practice from my host country. When I read the attached definition of a cultural practice – ways of doing something which relate to particular cultural environments and may therefore be unfamiliar to newcomers – I immediately thought of public transportation on Oahu. I am doing my semester abroad at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, which is located on the island of Oahu and in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii. Although Oahu has the best infrastructure of all the islands of Hawaii, the public transportation is very different from the public transportation in Switzerland.

Communication Style in Germany

One month ago, I arrived in Germany and had my first contact with the locals. When I talked to them I noticed that they had a style of talking that seemed “cold” to me. I thought maybe the first person was an exception. Then I talked to another one.