How do people study? There are many kinds of study styles such as visual, oral, auditory or kinesthetic. People use many styles to study. Each person has a own study style and teachers also use many styles when they teach. The SW trip was one of the ways to study about American culture, so we could learn about not only SW culture but also language, art, nature and communication. We could learn deeply from these experience.First, we could get a lot of information from this trip. We went to lots of museums or culture centers. We could learn history from Native Indian directly. They told us in detail, so we could find out new things. We also saw many adobes and churches. I really surprised by them because many houses were earth color and unique design I had never seen before. Moreover, we ate SW food such as Taco or Chili and I was really surprised by the flavor of a corn tortilla. It’s because this flavor was strange than I expected. We already had learned SW Culture in class; how Native Indian have passed their lives, what is the characteristic of architecture of the SW and what is the famous food in the SW. However, on this trip, I could learn them much deeper than studying in class.
Second, this trip was a good opportunity to listen to Native American language and foreign language. We could listen to Native American language many times and fortunately, we could also listen to Native American’s songs. Native American’s pronunciation was very difficult for me but it had an impact on me. Another language experience was the Grand Canyon. There were a lot of tourists from many different countries. We could listen to many kinds of language such as French or Italian. Some students had a chance to talk with French people in French. During this trip, we were surrounded by lots of languages, so I realized by hearing a lot of languages that language is interesting. I am starting to be interested in language more than before.
Third, I could learn the fascinating art from Georgia O’keeffe and Kolb studio. I also coud feel a lot of sense of artists. It was the first time for me to go to an art museum. I was not interested in art but I could really enjoy this museum. It’s because I realized fascinating of art; beautiful color, representation of feeling and drawing technique. In Kolb studio also I could enjoy looking pictures. There were many pictures from many different artists. All of them drew individual pictures, so I compared every picture. All of the pictures were amazing. I was impressed by the way the artists expressed themselves by drawing picture and I realized how art is stunning.
Forth, I learned nature is more beautiful than any other thing in the world. At first, when I arrived at the SW, I couldn’t believe that the sun is very close to me. The weather was very wonderful, so the sky was pure blue and no clouds. In addition, there was a vast plain and we could see some interesting things, such as Mesa and Cactus. I was really impressed but the most impressive scenery was the Grand Canyon. I can’t explain how marvelous it was. I had never seen these absolutely wonderful weather and scenery before. I realized how nature is amazing.
Fifth, we could communicate with American students and other English speakers. We went to 2 schools; one was a high school, the other one was an university. We talked with students and I got much information from them. Moreover, I could talk with shop clerk, bus driver, tour guides and Native Indian. Everyone was very kind, so I could enjoy talking with them. I realized that each person who talks with me had a little different accent and I listened to some explanation from some guides. I could learn from them how to explain something to many people. Through the communication with people, I could know many kinds of speaking styles.
I could consider culture, language, art, nature and communication in this trip more deeply. I hope all Extension students could also learn many things from this trip. We can learn something in class but there are many experiences from which we learn outside by listening, tasting, communicating, experiencing, so we can learn more directly and deeply. I think in order to understand more deeply, students should go outside and experience something. My experience is valuable for me, so I will never forget my experience on this trip.