first week of class, my swedish final, and a conversation that is sticking

I just started my first week of my communications course! These classes are in english (phew) and even though half of us are the CSU exchange students from California (sigh...) I'm really enjoying the class and everyone in it. The education system is so different here... I hate to say it, but I feel much more taken care of. They go through great lengths to make sure we have a welcome meeting, reception AND fika to make sure that we meet all the teachers and administrators in the Informatics and Media (Communications) Department. Even people who I'll probably never meet again were introduced to me, along with everyone I'm going to get to know very well. A lot of PhD students will be teaching us, and they seem so enthusiastic and energetic and I'm very excited for their classes to start. Also, we are going on a trip together to Berlin from October 24-29 to visit the DPA (international news center), the Haus des Rufunks (a public service broadcaster), Die Tageszeitung (a newspaper company) and the Topographic des Terrors, a holocaust museum (which will be hard to see, but very important i think). A group of us are trying to organize a group to leave a weekend early or stay a weekend later to be able to explore Berlin a little bit on our own. I'm so stoked! Also, a classmate is organizing a pub crawl for all of us on friday. It will be so good to get to know everyone... and it's so funny that when he announced it in class, the teachers nodded approval. Professors here KNOW that we drink, ask us about it, tell us which nations have the best beer,  and if a lot of people are missing one day, they ask us if the party last night was good. They don't push it away like the professors in the US. Just some things I'm noticing....

I also had my swedish final exam today! I'm so glad to be able to stop stressing about it! I thiiiiink I passed... we shall see. I studied a lot of things that weren't even on the test... but if a swede asks me about furniture, parts of the body, or clothes, I will know what they're saying. I think results will be posted on friday. Fingers crossed!

Finally, I had a really interesting conversation with a friend from Germany today. He said that he thought it was funny that a lot of the people from the USA say that they're from "California" or a lot say "San Francisco" "Los Angeles" or "Chicago." He said that people in Germany just say that they're from Germany, and that they'll tell you which city or Provence if they're asked.  I said that I got advice from many people to introduce myself as from "cali" instead of the "usa" because California is much more liberal and a better reputation abroad. I told him this, and said that even though I'm very ashamed of many things the US has been responsible for, I'm proud of being from California and (tend to) agree more with the way people in California think as opposed to other places in the US. He said that he understands that and had never really thought of that before, but it also sounds a bit pretentious to assume that everyone knows where Los Angeles is or that it is a part of the US. He said that it sometimes comes across like we assume that our city is more important because everyone will know where it is. This was such an eye- opening thing to say. There are so many little things that we don't even think about that show how  engrained culture is in everyone. He is so right, and I feel so lucky to be here, learning about my culture from an outside point of view. We are CONSTANTLY communicating, and when I say "I'm from San Francisco," I'm saying so much more than just sending basic information. Depending on who I'm with, I'm saying that you should know that city, should know that it is in the States, and should know that it is important for some reason. It's making an assumption that everyone knows this city. I want everyone here to be that honest with me. The conversation continued when I realized that if i said that I was from "America," that is immediately diminishing all other countries in the Americas. Yes, there is common understanding that America usually= the USA, but technically we are only a part of all of America.

WHERE AM I FROM NOW?! I asked what he would think if I just said that I was a temporary Swede. He laughed, but said that that might be a good idea. It says that I come from a place that I'm willing to disconnect myself from and that I respect and am interested in the place where I am. Goodie.

I'm just going to have to pay closer attention to everything I say and do. Thankfully, I'm not saying that I'm from Grass Valley and chastising the people who never heard of it (if you want to know how many, it's no one) or anything, but everything I do and say is communicating some sort of message. If I can figure out why the "american" messages are looked down on, then I can begin to learn how to communicate more effectively with more people. That's what a comm major does, right??

Anyway speaking of communicating, I have a pub crawl tomorrow and I need to rest up. There will be all sorts of communicating going on that I need to prepare for. ;)
xxx