Jessica Bass PortfolioI have always been interested in traveling and learning about foreign langauges and cultures. These are also some of my favorite topics to weave into my classroom! Outside of teaching I enjoy watching Eagles football, running, doing yoga, playing board and card games, and planning my next trip.
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Cultural Connections Project 1: Global Collaborative Project (Video Synopsis)
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Cultural Connections Project 2: Scripted Duologue (GoAnimate)
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Cultural Collections Project 1: Swedish Culture Map (Google Maps)
- Training Map, NCSU, Wolves
- Sweden Map
Cultural Collections Project 2: Tour Guide (History Pin)
My History Pin
My History Pin
Cultural Collections Project 3: Swedish History (MyHistro)
Cultural Collections Project 4: Curated Collection of Objects (Voicethread)
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https://voicethread.com/share/9354018/
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Cultural Reflections Project 1: The Last Word, Swedish education articles
Enter reflection here...
Enter reflection here...
Cultural Reflections Project 2: Swedish Book Club (GoodReads)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a thrilling murder mystery page-turner. Journalist Mikhail Blomqvuist feels like he needs some time away from his job, and accepts a position in a small town north of the capital. Meanwhile, young private investigator Lizbeth Salander, perceived as anti-social by most people, has talent that no one comprehends. When their paths meet as they help a wealthy industrial tycoon uncover the details of his long-disappeared niece, will their relationship remain strictly professional, or will Lizbeth finally allow another person into her closed-off heart?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a thrilling murder mystery page-turner. Journalist Mikhail Blomqvuist feels like he needs some time away from his job, and accepts a position in a small town north of the capital. Meanwhile, young private investigator Lizbeth Salander, perceived as anti-social by most people, has talent that no one comprehends. When their paths meet as they help a wealthy industrial tycoon uncover the details of his long-disappeared niece, will their relationship remain strictly professional, or will Lizbeth finally allow another person into her closed-off heart?
Cultural Reflections Project 3: Travel Writing (Blog)
Project “Meet the Locals”
I’ve always found that what interests me most about traveling is getting to know the local people in the country that’s hosting me. Cultural norms in different regions can make this an easy task in some places, or nearly impossible in others. For this trip to Sweden I had a brand new “Meet the Locals” game plan I’d never used abroad before: Meetup Groups. And what better time to make a first impression than 5 hours after arriving with only two hours of sleep in the last 30 hours? So off I trod, following the blue dot moving along the path on my phone, to English Meetup at an outdoor cafe. Time to meet some Swedes! As I introduced myself to the other people around me, I met Alex from Ukraine, Hawar from Iraq, Sabrina from Germany, and Sharon from China. Hmmm…..not quite as I anticipated. They were all interesting people, nonetheless, a silent cheer rose up in my heart as a tall, blond woman pulled up a chair next to me and introduced herself as Francie from Sweden.
As I explained to my new acquaintances that I was here with a group of teachers visiting Sweden due to their stellar school system, a chorus of interjections sprung up around me. “Why would you come here when Finland is so close and so much better?” Alex wanted to know. “It used to be so much better here,” Francie chimed in. “When I was a student we didn’t have as much say, and we actually had to do work. Now the students are just lazy and the teachers can’t do anything about it.” Well that was news to me!
The conversation strolled on to maternity leave, took a turn at history, and paused at cultural norms. “Swedes are very reserved and private,” criticized Francie, who had recently returned from a long stay in Italy, and missed the warm and open culture there. “For example, if you have a roommate here and they are cooking, it’s respectful to wait for them to cook, eat, and clean their dishes before you use the kitchen. It would be rude and inconsiderate to try to share the stove or sit at the table and crowd them while they eat.”
As it neared 3:00 I was having trouble overcoming my jet lag, so I said goodbye to the crowd at the cafe and wandered back to the hotel. Attempt 1 of “Meet the Locals” had been moderately successful, but I was hoping that there might be a few more native Swedes at Spanish Conversation Meetup a few days later. As I entered a cozy basement cafe in Gamla Stan for my next attempt, I met Samantha from Spain, Stefano from Venezuela, Martin from Chile and Letizia from Italy. And this time no tall, blond woman appeared ready to give me insight into her country.
I asked the group around me if there were usually some Swedes that came to these Meetups. Everyone chuckled. “Occasionally,” Stefano answered, “but after living here for over a year I’ve realized that most Swedes aren’t that interested in making new friends.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “They’re super nice and helpful,” Samantha added, “but they’re not the type to spend time with people they haven’t known for a long time. For example, if I invite one of my coworkers to come over, they will always come up with an excuse because they know that they would have to reciprocate the invitation. They like for everything to be even.”
“Exactly,” agreed Martin. “This one time I went skiing with some friends, and my Swedish friend came -- “
“You have a Swedish friend?!” Letizia interrupted.
“What’s your secret?” Samantha exclaimed in admiration.
“I’ve been here for 12 years,” Martin explained, “and I have about two or three Swedes that I can say are my friends now.” He continued his story, “Anyway, for the ski trip we decided that I would pay for everything and divide up the cost as the end. So afterward I told everyone that they owed me 2,000 kroner, and everyone paid me without any problems, except for my Swedish friend. He was like, ‘How could it come out to exactly 2,000 kroner each? That doesn’t sound accurate.’ In actuality it had been 1,989 kroner, but everyone else understood that rounding just made sense, but this guy paid me exactly 1,989 kroner. They really like for everything to be even.”
As the evening marched forward I heard story after story that reinforced this opinion. Everyone seemed to have a positive experience in Sweden and seemed to enjoy their new home, coworkers, and lifestyle. But they all found the Swedes an incredibly difficult group to befriend, while a perfectly nice and respectful society to live and work in. Unfortunately since my “Meet the Locals” strategy failed to result in meeting many true locals, I guess I’ll just have to take the temporary locals’ word.
Project “Meet the Locals”
I’ve always found that what interests me most about traveling is getting to know the local people in the country that’s hosting me. Cultural norms in different regions can make this an easy task in some places, or nearly impossible in others. For this trip to Sweden I had a brand new “Meet the Locals” game plan I’d never used abroad before: Meetup Groups. And what better time to make a first impression than 5 hours after arriving with only two hours of sleep in the last 30 hours? So off I trod, following the blue dot moving along the path on my phone, to English Meetup at an outdoor cafe. Time to meet some Swedes! As I introduced myself to the other people around me, I met Alex from Ukraine, Hawar from Iraq, Sabrina from Germany, and Sharon from China. Hmmm…..not quite as I anticipated. They were all interesting people, nonetheless, a silent cheer rose up in my heart as a tall, blond woman pulled up a chair next to me and introduced herself as Francie from Sweden.
As I explained to my new acquaintances that I was here with a group of teachers visiting Sweden due to their stellar school system, a chorus of interjections sprung up around me. “Why would you come here when Finland is so close and so much better?” Alex wanted to know. “It used to be so much better here,” Francie chimed in. “When I was a student we didn’t have as much say, and we actually had to do work. Now the students are just lazy and the teachers can’t do anything about it.” Well that was news to me!
The conversation strolled on to maternity leave, took a turn at history, and paused at cultural norms. “Swedes are very reserved and private,” criticized Francie, who had recently returned from a long stay in Italy, and missed the warm and open culture there. “For example, if you have a roommate here and they are cooking, it’s respectful to wait for them to cook, eat, and clean their dishes before you use the kitchen. It would be rude and inconsiderate to try to share the stove or sit at the table and crowd them while they eat.”
As it neared 3:00 I was having trouble overcoming my jet lag, so I said goodbye to the crowd at the cafe and wandered back to the hotel. Attempt 1 of “Meet the Locals” had been moderately successful, but I was hoping that there might be a few more native Swedes at Spanish Conversation Meetup a few days later. As I entered a cozy basement cafe in Gamla Stan for my next attempt, I met Samantha from Spain, Stefano from Venezuela, Martin from Chile and Letizia from Italy. And this time no tall, blond woman appeared ready to give me insight into her country.
I asked the group around me if there were usually some Swedes that came to these Meetups. Everyone chuckled. “Occasionally,” Stefano answered, “but after living here for over a year I’ve realized that most Swedes aren’t that interested in making new friends.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “They’re super nice and helpful,” Samantha added, “but they’re not the type to spend time with people they haven’t known for a long time. For example, if I invite one of my coworkers to come over, they will always come up with an excuse because they know that they would have to reciprocate the invitation. They like for everything to be even.”
“Exactly,” agreed Martin. “This one time I went skiing with some friends, and my Swedish friend came -- “
“You have a Swedish friend?!” Letizia interrupted.
“What’s your secret?” Samantha exclaimed in admiration.
“I’ve been here for 12 years,” Martin explained, “and I have about two or three Swedes that I can say are my friends now.” He continued his story, “Anyway, for the ski trip we decided that I would pay for everything and divide up the cost as the end. So afterward I told everyone that they owed me 2,000 kroner, and everyone paid me without any problems, except for my Swedish friend. He was like, ‘How could it come out to exactly 2,000 kroner each? That doesn’t sound accurate.’ In actuality it had been 1,989 kroner, but everyone else understood that rounding just made sense, but this guy paid me exactly 1,989 kroner. They really like for everything to be even.”
As the evening marched forward I heard story after story that reinforced this opinion. Everyone seemed to have a positive experience in Sweden and seemed to enjoy their new home, coworkers, and lifestyle. But they all found the Swedes an incredibly difficult group to befriend, while a perfectly nice and respectful society to live and work in. Unfortunately since my “Meet the Locals” strategy failed to result in meeting many true locals, I guess I’ll just have to take the temporary locals’ word.
Cultural Reflections Project 5: Impressions of Sweden (Meme Generator)