The cultural immersion initiatives usually consist of global service learning (GSL), study abroad programs, or international internships as they have proven successful at increasing global awareness and empathy.
Participants noted the necessity of being open-minded for transformational change to take place, which relates back to Kiely’s model of transformative service learning.
Learning a New Language
Cultural immersion goes beyond simply traveling to another country and learning its language; it involves living among its inhabitants and becoming immersed in their culture. Anthropologists and sociologists commonly employ participant observation as a technique for gathering more in-depth information on a culture they’re researching; it typically takes months or even years to set up and carry out, and requires developing strong bonds of trust between researcher and those she studies in order to get the most accurate data possible.
Healthcare students can use this approach to increase their own cultural awareness and sensitivity. A study that evaluated the addition of cultural immersion experiences into nursing courses revealed that graduate-level healthcare students experienced growth across multiple domains as well as positive effects on overall learning, while becoming more open to exploring traditions from other cultures.
Interacting with Locals
Making friends amongst local residents is an integral component of cultural immersion. Communicating and learning more about their lives provides students with an incredible opportunity to build meaningful relationships that may endure even after they return home.
Interacting with locals teaches students to appreciate how their decisions impact the world around them, for instance if they choose a certain outfit or language app to practice language, they may be contributing to poverty in another country.
Some programs assume that simply experiencing another culture will suffice, yet these experiences often aren’t as impactful. A true cultural immersion requires more than simply becoming acquainted with its traditions, cuisine and languages; rather, it involves becoming part of it while respecting its values – things such as wearing clothing that offends locals or using social media in ways which could be seen as cultural appropriation should also be avoided.
Observing Art
Immersing yourself in another culture means learning about its arts, traditions, and ways of life; appreciating them without diminishing or cheapening them – this differs from cultural appropriation when people use traditions, cuisine, dress or language without respect or understanding – such as wearing Halloween attire that represents another culture to look good – however doing this could appear exploitative of said culture and its traditions for personal gain.
Experience has shown that cultural immersion can result in transformative learning and changes to self-identity, according to one study using Mezirow’s Perspective Transformation Theory to interview participants after returning home from international experiences and Mezirow’s Perspective Transformation Theory was used for analysis; researchers concluded that their international trip had changed their expectations about themselves as well as interactions with locals upon their return home – this led to significant alteration of attitudes upon reentering their communities and life at large.
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
To gain an accurate view of culture, one must do more than simply observe it. To truly grasp how Bolivian weavers create their traditional tapestries or restaurant owners prepare dishes handed down through generations, one must immerse oneself in the experience.
Engaging in cultural immersion requires taking steps outside your comfort zone. While this may be daunting, small steps such as watching more films and listening to more music in the local language can help.
Be mindful of appropriating cultures too often; there’s a fine line between appreciating and misappropriating it. If your enjoyment of traditions, cuisine, dress or language benefits you more than those who originated it, such as wearing Halloween costumes from another culture for Halloween to look cool might cross this boundary and cheapen its culture – always travel responsibly so as to avoid this mistake!
