International Student Joseph Aborah

Cultural Exchange: A Real Eye Opener

Name: Joseph Aborah
Hometown: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Major: Pre-Business

Since I have been on campus, people tend to ask me where I am from, then ask me why I came all the way from Amsterdam to the University of Oregon. My response is that I was lucky enough to receive an International Cultural Service Program scholarship.

In ICSP, international students have the chance to go out into the community to give presentations about their countries and cultures at high schools and retirement homes. There are a lot of incorrect impressions of the Netherlands, and I felt this was a good opportunity to teach people about what really goes on in my country. It was also an eye-opener for me because I had certain views about Americans, and because of the presentations I was able to learn how things really are.

Although I took a class about the presentations in the fall term, I still felt that I might not do a good job. But when I finally started to do the presentations, it was actually really fun. The people are usually eager to learn something about a new country. Most of the time, they have never been out of the United States and only know about other countries through what they see and hear on TV.

It has been a good experience for me, and I am looking forward to doing these presentations for a while. I would also like to say that if you get the opportunity to do a program like ICSP, you should seize the opportunity. Cultural presentations not only help your audience, they also help you.