Plans For My Final Project...

Well, for those of you who have been following me, you may notice that this blog is being posted on Friday rather than Saturday on the day that it is due.

Tragically, I will be unable to post any blogs and such because my one year anniversary is tomorrow/today.

Shout-out to Valerie. :)

Now, down to business. To be honest, I have been having difficulty trying to decide in what way I will be portraying my final project.

The point of this class is to immerse ourselves into another society, another culture, and literally that of another world. With that in mind, it's challenging to imagine producing a documentary-esque film of American quality because it would be pointless. We all, after all, are Americans. We have been exposed to the internet, media, and certain social standards all of our life, and we would gain no insight or knowledge looking at what we take for granted for everyday.

This leads me to contemplate exactly how to carry out this project, because unlike my fellow classmates, I am not in another country participating in cultural activities that are taken for granted by the locals and not available here in the United States.

But thankfully, I have an idea about how I can possibly carry out the final project without having too much of a struggle, and I would like as many opinions about it as possible.

The concept of my idea revolves around what this class is based on. And that, namely, is cultural exploration. Since I am living in the Clemson Exchange Community, I have the advantage to students who are visiting here for one semester.

So, my plan for my final project is simply to gain perspective of other students. In a sense, I'm still taking culture from my surroundings, like the international students, but instead of summing up one culture, I'll be interviewing various students who make up the portion of Clemson.

I imagine that taking the time to see what culture is integrated into our own is an important part to better Clemson's role in international planning and responsibility. What is the reason that they chose the United States? Why did they decide on Clemson compared to other colleges in America? What were some of the beliefs and ideas they had going in compared to the reality of the situation?

More importantly, I believe I have the opportunity to see how interaction is made between integrating foreign customs and beliefs into new opportunities, new adventures, and new chances to try the "American way of living".

Because my major is Psychology, I am hoping that this will further my own ability to understand reasoning, conceptual thinking, and behavior trends regarding different cultures. Because when it comes to defining "culture" in Clemson, we cannot just promote the Southern way, or those who are born here. We have to include everyone who plays a vital role on all levels, including those who journey back to Australia, China, Europe, Asia, so on, and so forth, and relate stories of the time they've been here.

As to how I will accomplish this, I believe interviewing at least two people would prove useful. Unfortunately, meetings for the C.E.C. have slowed down, and there has been little to no chance to participate in cultural diversity on that level. This means that I need to get new perspectives, and think outside of the box and decide how to create a project that sums up my one and only year as a C.E.C. resident in a way that encourages others to either participate with the C.E.C. or travel abroad and promote culturiosity (that's culture and curiosity, as defined by transfer students coming into Clemson).

Well, that is all for now. Perhaps if I have some down time Saturday or Sunday night, I'll check back in but in the meantime, stay tuned for more.