Derrik Horman

Tamra K. Phillips
Intercultural Communications 2150
26 November 2014
Service-Learning Paper
Community Partner:
Andrew Shaw
ESL Instructor
English as a Second Language Conversations
Salt Lake Community College
Redwood Campus
TB 123, 125
andrewshaw@slcc.edu

Project:
According the school's own website the purpose of the ESL program, is to provide learning
experiences that will promote greater student success and satisfaction in their personal, professional
and academic pursuits, with a focus on the development of language and study skills that are necessary
for success in college studies (slcc.edu/english/esl). The students begin at Level One and as they
improve and pass each level they can progress upwards to Level 4. During this progression from level
to level the students are encouraged to take the Loep Test. The students are asked to only take the
grammar and reading comprehension aspect of the test. Once the test is complete and the student has
received his/her score the student will then level up or remain at their current level.
The objective of my project was to assist SLCC students who are from around the world to
improve their English skills. The majority of my service time was spent during the last section of their
4 hours of instruction called the conversation hour. Each day we would break out into smaller groups,
each containing people from different ethnic backgrounds. Then we would be given a subject to
discuss. These ranged from, What would you do if. . . u had a million dollars, or did not pass L3 to

reading over Andy's secret, world-famous always juicy turkey recipe. The discussions would start out
with us staying on topic until each person was given an opportunity to respond. Then the discussion
would turn to me asking the students about their lives here in America or about the culture and politics
of where they are from. We never had a lull in the conversation and there was never an awkward
moment. Each of the students found me to be just as fascinating as I found them.

Culture Group:
I was involved mainly with three types of cultures, Hispanic, Arabic and Asian, all of which are
collectivist societies. In this class, I was able to become acquainted with many wonderful people.
Zulami, Oscar and Rosalyn are from Venezuela. Cheng, Kook and Shunwen are from China, YuongHI
is from South Korea and Christine is from Laos. Qazim, Hannan and Evee are all from Iraq, Musab is
from Saudi Arabia and Dolores is from Mexico. I love all of these people. They are always so happy, so
interested in American culture and eager to learn how to speak English properly. The three students
from Venezuela are here because of the governmental turmoil their country is experiencing. Their
government and military including the police have become so corrupt, Venezuela is a dangerous place.
Hannan and Evee are in America due to the war in Baghdad. The expedition for Evee to arrive in Utah
was very difficult on her and her husband. The students from Asia are all here to gain a quality
education. Cheng chose Utah and SLCC as a place to study because according to him, It is much
quieter and smaller here in Salt Lake than his hometown. Musab is attending SLCC to learn English
and plans on moving to a larger university to study medicine. Qazim is also planning on attending a
larger college to study pharmaceuticals. Dolores is currently a CNA working near the school and would
like to become involved in the RN program at SLCC.

Challenges:
Prior to this communication class I had a negative bias against the immigrants flooding the

USA. I felt threatened mainly by the Hispanic culture coming into my country and using my tax dollars
for their benefit. This benefit included taking away jobs, using the state welfare program (Food
Stamps) and being covered by governmental insurance for free. I was also frustrated by many of these
immigrants not speaking English. My conviction was: If you are to live in a foreign country than you
had better learn their native tongue.
At the beginning of this semester, I walked into Andy's class with these biases. But, when the
semester had ended, all of these viewpoints had changed. All of these students are here for a purpose.
All are here for a good education, many are here to avoid the conflicts in their countries. Each one of
these students have a story behind why they are here. Each one of them have a dream they are shooting
towards achieving. Despite their lack of English knowledge, they all have the desire to improve their
English skills to gain the education they came to America to receive. I learned they are not here to
prevent me from finding a job or spend my tax dollars. They are here to provide for themselves and/or
their families and achieve the goals in their lives which were not possible in their home country.

Theory:
The theory of Intercultural Transitions best applies to the service I have done this semester. To
understand cultural transitions, we must simultaneously consider both the individual migrant groups
and the contexts in which they travel (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). This theory pertains to many
factors of individuals moving from within their own country or to a different one. A migrant is, an
individual who leaves the primary cultural context in which he or she was raised and moves to a new
cultural context for an extended time (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
Migrants have two different classifications within itself. The first type of migrant is voluntary
migrant. These types of migrants are able to leave their primary culture or country without any force or
outside influence. Voluntary migrants contain two different types of migrants:
A. Sojourners- People who move into new cultural contexts for a limited period of time and for

a specific purpose, such as for study or business (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
B. Immigrant- People who come to a new country, region, or environment to settle more or
less permanently (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
Involuntary migrants can be explained as, any foreign-born people who have migrated to the
U.S. because they have been displaced from their home country, have an established or well-founded
fear of persecution, or have been moved by deception or coercion (Cassidy, 2). Long-term refugees
and short-term refugees are applicable to involuntary migrants.
A. Long-term refugees- People who are forced to relocate permanently because of war, famine,
and oppression (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
B. Short-term refugees- People who are forced for a short time to move from their region or
country (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
After any person/s arrive in a new region or country they have many adjustments that need to
occur. An individual will need to make these adjustments when attempting to learn how to become a
part of the new society he/she now lives in. Assimilation according to dictionary.reference.com states
this process consists of, adapting or adjusting to the culture of a group or nation, or the state of being
so adapted. In-other-words, the individual has completely abandoned his/her cultural beliefs and
adopts those of the host country. Separation is not the person or family isolating themselves from
society but, instead, an individual retains his or her culture while interacting minimally with other
groups (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). An improvement from separation the migrant can make when
adjusting to the host country is called integration. This aspect of change occurs as, individuals
maintain both their original culture and their daily interactions with other groups (Martin &
Nakayama, 2013).
When any person is faced with a situation that makes him/her feel very uncomfortable the
individual will face the fight or flight instinct. Immigrants also have to overcome this tendency when
living in a new environment. Pertaining to intercultural transition, the flight approach is based upon the

the tendency for the person/s to become withdrawn from the new society. The fight approach occurs as
the person/s cope and conquers the awkward feelings of living in a new location.
Any person/s, especially sojourners, when residing in a new country will most likely experience
what is referred to as the U-Curve theory. This theory is defined as, A model designed to describe the
emotional adjustment process of cross-cultural sojourns over time. The 'U' shape suggests sojourners
emotional well-being begins positively, dips to a negative state, and eventually returns to positive levels
of satisfaction (Berardo & Labrack, 2007). This theory consists of three parts.
A. Anticipation- this is the excitement phase. As a migrant enters a new environment or new
culture, he or she will have a premonition of excitement.
B. Culture Shock- A relatively short-term telling of disorientation and discomfort due to the
lack of familiar cues in the environment (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).
C. Adjustment- by this time of adjustment, the migrant has become familiar with the rules and
lifestyle of the new location.
Long-term migrants may face multiple U-Curve reoccurences. As time progresses of their
residency in the new country, migrants will feel, relatively adjusted and experiencing culture shock;
over the long-term, the sense of culture shock diminishes (Martin & Nakayama, 2013).

Analysis:
Using the above information I would like to focus on one student from Andy's class and how the
Intercultural Transition theory and terminology apply to his experience of adjusting to the culture and
lifestyle of Utah. His name is Oscar and he, along with his family, are from Venezuela. He is a
voluntary migrant to the United States. Even though his country's government and police force have
become corrupted and living there is very unsafe, he came here of his own free will. He and his family
are not sojourners, they are immigrants, he plans on permanently living here in the Salt Lake Valley.
Oscar is a great example of how a person from another country can integrate himself into the

culture of his current residence. Just as the definition states, individuals maintain both their original
culture and their daily interactions with other groups (Martin & Nakayama, 2013), Oscar has been
able to accomplish this principle. For example, when observing him during the conversation hour of
class he was able to maintain discussions with Musab from Saudi Arabia, Christine from Laos, and
myself, in English, without any difficulties. But, he was also able to manage to switch back to his
native Spanish tongue with very little difficulty when talking with Dolores or Zulami.
Based upon the term of assimilation, Oscar has completely given up the belief he once held in
the respectability and quality of his government and police. He explained to me, during the time he fled
his country his current president was amending the country's constitution so he could stay in office
longer. The president did not want loose the power he had while in office. Just like any person with
large amounts of power, the one thing they are afraid of is loosing this power. The police did not
enforce any law to protect the citizens. Instead, they would steal food such as, milk, eggs, butter and
other daily supplies from the local markets and sell these items for a large profit.
Oscar has accepted, adopted and respects the government of the United States. He is thankful to
be living in a country where the president is not changing the constitution to remain in office. He is also
impressed with the police force of the Salt Lake Valley. He admires the quality of service and sacrifice
a police officer is willing to offer everyday in the line of duty.
During the transition of lifestyles between Venezuela and Utah, Oscar has experienced the UCurve theory principle of Culture Shock more than once. His first shock was the large amount of food
he witnessed Utahns consuming everyday. Second, he was amazed at how fast and easy any type of
food can be prepared on demand at fast food restaurants. He was caught completely off-guard when he
saw a fast-food drive-thru.
Traffic in Utah was another culture shock Oscar was not prepared to understand. The driving
laws, lights and the orderliness of traffic was a major cultural adjustment. Even the common red
octagonal stop sign was a part of traffic and driving Oscar was not prepare to understand. The right-of-

way a pedestrian has here in America is another part of culture shock that affected Oscar. He was
amazed at the power one person has by being able to stop traffic by stepping onto the road. In
Venezuela, if a pedestrian steps onto the street, their lives were in danger.
Weather was a type of culture shock that influenced Oscar's opinion of Utah. He was not
accustomed to living in an environment with four seasons, especially cold weather with snow. Seeing
snow on the ground and living in such cold conditions took some time for him to adapt and accept.
The use of the Intercultural Transition theory was beneficial for me to understand the reasoning
from a communicative perspective why Oscar and these other migrants in the ESL class are here in
Utah. Oscar was used as the example in this paper to demonstrate how the terminology in this chapter
apply to actual life events. Each person in the ESL class can manifest the reality of the importance of
this theory and its application to migrants seeking a new life in a new country.

Reflection:
My feelings about this project at the beginning of the semester were very skeptical. The amount
of time lost when completing the service hours made me frustrated. The one hour dedicated towards the
service project felt like adding another class to my schedule. During the first two classes, I was tutoring
one ESL student with their English. I was not encountering any type of cultural experience and was
becoming concerned I was missing the point of the service project.
The central points I learned about the various cultures in the class were their kindness towards
others and their desire for me to learn about their culture. All of the students were so kind to me and
treated me with utmost respect. Each of the students treated one another with respect and dignity
without the concern of gender nor ethnicity. While we were in our small discussion groups, if given the
chance, the students would teach me about their culture, food and living conditions. They were so
excited to be able to share these cultural traditions with me.
As the semester progressed my perspective towards the time lost quickly changed. To be

truthful, spending time in the ESL class became the highlight of my week. Every opportunity I could
have conversing with these students, learning about their culture and me teaching them about my
culture was valued.
The application of the Intercultural Transition theory helped me understand the various
processes these students had to make to adjust to their new lives in Utah. The theory gave me an insight
into why they chose to leave their country, why some are here temporarily for an education and others
are here to stay. This theory also helped me to change a negative bias I have had for a long time against
the immigrants that flock to the USA. After spending this semester with these students I now
understand people migrate to America for a purpose to improve their own lives, community and
society.
I believe my definition of civic engagement at the beginning of the semester pertained to the
actions a person can pursue to improve their community. I have learned during the semester this
perspective needs to change. The difference a person can make does not need to be publicly known for
community improvement. Instead the civic engagement a person can do is right there in own life. I
engage myself in the lives of those at school, work and my family. I feel if I can make a difference in
one person's life, then this person can change another, then another, creating a domino effect.
My community for this project consisted of Andy and his students. I feel I made a positive
impact in their lives. I feel I represented the American culture with dignity and was able to help all of
the students I worked with to understand they are welcome to be a part of our society.
I can incorporate what I have learned this semester by being more open-minded to the diversity
I see on campus. SLCC has a large diversity which I respect much more now than I did at the
beginning of the semester. My career choice will be working with the minority population of the Deaf,
as a future interpreter. I can reflect on the experiences of this service project by accepting the Deaf
culture and its traditions and how these people have integrated themselves into a hearing world.

Works Cited
(2014, January 1). Retrieved December 6, 2014, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/assimilation
Berardo, K., & LaBrack, B. (2007, November 15). Caution: 'U' and 'W' Curves Ahead!
Retrieved December 6, 2014, from
http://www.culturosity.com/pdfs/CIEEPresentationBerardoLaBrack.pdf
Cassidy, R. (n.d.). Involuntary and Voluntary Mirgran Estimates. Retrieved December 6, 2014,
from http://www.copafs.org/UserFiles/file/seminars/methodology_and_data_quality/Involuntary and
Voluntary Migarant Estimates.pdf
English. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from
http://www.slcc.edu/english/esl/index.aspx
Martin, J., & Nakayama, T. (2013). Understanding Intercultural Transitions. In <i>Intercultural
communication in contexts</i> (6th ed., pp. 315-352). Boston: McGraw-Hill.