James McCarty
Pre-Trip
Hi, my name is James McCarty. I am a Junior in Applied Psychology Program, with a Minor in Business. I enrolled in this course even though I am not an Education Major, I still have plans to become a teacher sometime in my future. I have been to schools in Taiwan previously this semester, and this will help me gain better understanding of differences in schooling and teaching techniques internationally.
I think that this is a tremendous course! I have traveled a handful of times previously, so I understand some of the key elements and knowledge that a person should have before traveling to a different nation. This class has prepared us not only on an education background, but also through tips of traveling, packing, culture, religion, language, and customs. This class has given us (students) all the preparation to make this experience as rewarding to us as possible.
My experience with the course up till this point (before the trip) is that it immerses you in all the vital aspects of the country before actually arriving, so the "culture shock" wont be as shocking once we arrive because we have already gained knowledge about what we should be expecting. The professors for the course have also been fantastic, they have gone above and beyond what I could have ever expected. They truly have us prepared to travel and study abroad!
Post-Trip
I believe that my role, now being home, is to promote this trip as much as possible to as many people as I can. This trip really helped me to open my eyes to how cultures differ from that of here in America. I want other students to be able to experience what I did and have the same life changing moments that I did in a different culture, and be able to compare that to what they are accustomed to.
I would most positively do this trip again !!!!! I would want to expand upon the knowledge foundation that I formulated for this trip and help it to grow to gain a better understanding as a whole.