Most Americans are so attached to their cell phones and televisions that giving them up seems like giving up an appendage. Adisa Anderson, a junior at the University of California, Irvine, chose to study language in a developing country because "it teaches you to live life simple again." Anderson decided to live without a television or a cell phone for his four-month stay in Ghana, West Africa, not because they were not available, but because he wanted to get out and experience the country. His trip, like most travels to uncommon places, was anything but simple.
A developing country like Ghana is a country whose Human Development Index, a measurement of health and length of life, literacy and educational attainment, and the standard of living afforded by income, is at a low or moderate rating. The HDI was developed by the United Nations to compare the quality of life among nations. A country's development is also measured by its Gross Domestic Product, a measure of all the goods and services produced within a country. For a country like Ghana, the term "developing" is not relative for the time being.
At the University of Ghana, Anderson studied Twi, the local language, as well as psychology and West African drum. He said he chose Ghana for cultural reasons as well as the opportunity to do research in his field.
Anderson found that learning Twi while trying to culturally adapt was a challenge. His ancestors are from West Africa, so he looked like he belonged in Ghana. But having been raised in America, he knew nothing of the vernacular or social customs. He took the time to learn the language by participating in as much as Ghana had to offer, including sports.
One morning Anderson saw a poster announcing a cross country race being held nearby. He had run long-distance in high school, but nothing like an eight-mile cross country race in cool and rainy Ghana during the fall. He decided to participate in the race and began training. Two hundred men and women ran the race at a park near the University of Ghana, and Anderson came in seventh. After completing the race with such a strong finish, he was asked by the University of Ghana cross country coach to join the team. He traveled all over Ghana running in races and taking advantage of life as a university athlete - free food, a stipend, and speaking Twi with his teammates.
Whether you want to learn Twi while hanging out with your running buddies in Africa, or sit in a classroom for two weeks with a teacher immersed in a textbook, there are many great ways to learn a language anywhere in the world.LANGUAGE ABROAD VERSUS STUDY ABROAD
If you want to save money or go on a spur-of-the-moment adventure, you can enroll directly in a language school without a placement program. Language schools like Enforex in Spain offer locations in multiple countries where you can learn Spanish. However, companies such as LanguagesAbroad.com and Language Studies International can place students in credible language schools worldwide. There are also a variety of activities you can take part in to learn a language while overseas, like getting a job that requires conversation, volunteering, or taking a class in something like salsa dancing.
What makes these schools similar is their immersion-based curriculum, a learning environment that gets results. If all you do is eat, sleep and dream in the foreign language, you will pick it up that much faster. Sometimes this immersion is a bit different from the typical study abroad experience through your school. Study abroad opportunities (see the Study Abroad section of this guide) are usually more formal than language schools. Because of this formality, it is usually easier to get academic credit for a study abroad experience than for time at a language school. But many colleges are opening up to language schools' immersion-based curriculum, so it's possible for you to earn those four units by taking a one-month immersion course abroad.
SOCIAL SENSITIVITY
When studying a language in a developing country it is important to take careful notice of the social rules. Mark Alway of Spanish Abroad said that a great way for students to adhere to these rules is to simply be flexible. Travelers should be flexible about what time they eat and go to sleep, as these conventions can change with culture. Alway said that most language schools provide a short orientation o要 cultural dos and dont's that help students fit in faster. In fact, Alway said that students should forget the term "developing" altogether to make the transition easier. Forgetting the term lets you release some preconceived notions about how the country you are studying in is different from your own. Getting o要 the same wavelength as your peers makes the language learning process easier.
Knowing your host country's laws and regulations is also important. Realize that the rules vary from country to country, even among those that are in the same stage of development.
In the early 1990s, Singapore became a developed country in the eyes of the World Trade Organization when it no longer qualified for preferential treatment under the WTO's generalized system of preferences. By Singapore's HDI and its status in the WTO, Singapore is a developed country, though it may still lack certain liberties that other developed countries have.
Sometimes liberties we take for granted here in the U.S. can get you in trouble abroad, even in such a developed country. Dale Dwelle, a senior economics major at the University of California, Irvine, said that during his six-month study abroad in Singapore he faced the realities of studying in an authoritarian state.
Singapore has a strong economy, but a lot of human rights and liberties are restricted. In one instance Dwelle was taken down to a police station and given a file after watching a protest to combat violence against women. Dwelle's experience led him to believe that in Singapore, "you can't publicly discuss race or religion in any context." Furthermore, he feels that "(Singaporean) students believe that they live in a Utopian world" that is why you don't see as much public interaction between races."
Another problem is that your access to news can be restricted. In Singapore there are o要ly a handful of television channels that show news, and these are monitored by the government. Internet and print media are also owned and operated by the government to filter news having to do with religion, racism or public dissent, which curbs social outbursts.
Finally, just being American can make it difficult to fit in. Anderson said he was mistaken as a Ghanan very often. o要ce Ghanans discovered he was American, their perceptions changed. Anderson said that he was o要e of the few contacts that Ghanans had with African-American males, pointing out that the stereotype they had of him was basically what they got through their media. "If you just watch TV for African Americans in America you'd think we're just funny, loud and into athletics because that's what you'd recognize from the media. Then they met me and they were so shocked because I was a person with an academic side and an athletic side who was not trying to maintain a "thug" image."
Studying in a developing country or even a developed country with different ideals from your own can test your political beliefs and sense of familiarity. Anyone who is willing to take on this challenge will garner the satisfaction of knowing that they put aside cultural and language barriers to learn something new.