SPICE 2017

This week in Germany involved a bit of traveling.  At the beginning of the week, we went to Amsterdam and toured around the city.  At the same time, while we got to enjoy the culture of the Netherlands, we were also pampered since Amsterdam did not have any language barriers.  Literally, we spoke English the entire time; when we were requesting something, asking questions, or just in general conversation. I absolutely enjoyed the culture surrounding the area especially during our time on our boat tour where we learned the history of Amsterdam and how it came to be.  During this time, we became more aware about the culture of the Netherlands.  However, when we are in Germany, I still actively try to speak German (even though it is very poor) and I still ask questions about their culture.  I can not say the same for everyone else.  When we have class, during our breaks, I tend to spend some time with the German students.  Especially Nick.... we have...

BRUGES SELFIE SCAVENGER HUNT Here’s the gist. Bruges is a small but beautiful city, and despite its charm it can be challenging to find its coolest spots. So we have designed a scavenger hunt to encourage you to explore the city’s nooks and crannies. Some are more obvious than others, but they’re all cool little bits of Bruges. Here’s how it works. The person who finds the most items from this list wins something super awesome (rare, special, delicious), and in the case of a tie Tiffany will decide the winner based on creativity. For a find to ‘count’ you must take a selfie with the item you find. By 10am on Wednesday – that’s 24 hours – you’ll post your batch of pictures to the SPICE Facebook group (complete with captions telling us which item it is and something cool about it … captions count for creativity too). Please be sure to upload all photos in a single post (rather than individually). Also, for some of the items below there are ‘XP’ options (that’s gamer-speak for ‘...

Germany has been treating us well so far, except one morning when we went into a cafe to get breakfast. When the workers discovered we were Americans, our service was no longer wanted. We were told we only had ten minutes to eat there and then we had to leave. Between how rude the man was and the awkward feeling, we decided to just leave. Our Cultural Identity stuck out as soon as we got off the train from Frankfurt from the first week. Americans have a certain look to them, as Europeans would have a look to us. When we go out to eat, a lot of people look at us. They do this for two main reason: We are speaking fast and VERY LOUD English. We couldn't have much of a Intercultural Interaction ; the worker was no longer interested in having any sort of conversation once he realized we couldn't speak fluent german. This interaction didn't come as much of a shock as it would seem. I was honestly surprised at how long it did take for this kind of situation to finally happen...

  There are many cultural conflicts that I have encountered while I have been in Germany for the past three weeks.  However, the one that I am concerned with the most is that people never smile and I feel like they do not like that I am always happy and smiling.  I am astounded by the way people do not smile while just walking in the streets or on a train or anywhere that doesn't involve directly talking with family and friends.  In America (note that it's everywhere in the US I've been, not just where I'm from or the local nearby areas I am fully familiar with.  I will, now and then, bump into someone and smile and say warmly "etschuldigung!" while they just glare at me and say nothing back.  There are times in the grocery stores or shops where there are smiling, friendly faces that like my attempt to converse with them and we exchange laughs, but I do not see it on the sidewalks or on trains.   To be honest, I am not sure why this example in p...

SPICE 2017 Travels to Bruges ! Monday - ~3:00pm – Arrival at Bruges train station We’ll walk to your hotel and ensure that everyone gets checked in. You’ll have a few hours to yourself to get settled. Monday - 6:00 pm – Meet Tiffany at the Place de Bruges … There is a large statue in the center with all of the EU flags around the outer edge … look for me underneath the German flag. After we meet, everyone’s on their own for the rest of Monday night. Have fun, be safe, and remember we have a class meeting in the morning. Tuesday – 10:00 a.m. – Meet Tiffany at the Place de Bruges … Required class meeting … meet at the same place as last night, under the German flag. We’ll launch the “Selfie Scavenger Hunt’ from here.   Tuesday – 2:00 p.m. – De Halve Maan Brewery Tour & Tasting

After experiencing cultural shock on the train. After this I've noticed our group not talking as much on the train and myself have subconsciously adapted to not speaking on the train as much. I know Taylor is very sociable on the train and may be loud at times but that is her cultural identity. While on the train one evening with the group from WVU we were talking per usual and a woman poked Taylor and told her to keep quiet. The lady on the train had different view towards talking on the train and I think she did this because the normal thing to do on the train is to be quiet. I went out on my own just to explore the city and I found out that people don't stare as much but I can defiantly tell if they are looking if I am wearing clothes that make me look American I get a lot more stares. Some people even laugh, I don't notice it as much in the states. I think this has a lot to do with the context in how we were talking on the train if we were talking i...