F-4 My Cross-Cultural Journey: An Autobiographical Analysis of the Challenges and Negotiations in Entering the World of Unfamiliarity

Buller Room 250

This autobiographical account describes my personal experience as an international student in the United States, as a way to reflect on the misconceptions, challenges, and adaptations of my school life journey. My overseas experience created conflicted situations while entering the world of unfamiliarity, as well as provided deeper awareness of matters related to identity, culture, and power relations. My theoretical approach will be based on Schumman’s Acculturation Model and Aoki’s curriculum-as-lived perspectives, which will serve as guidelines for the critical analysis of my autobiographical narratives of schooling experiences in higher education. In this trajectory, in each narrative I articulate my cultural, linguistic, and social shock as I perceive my own limitations, the enunciatory spaces of difference, and attempt to understand my new self as a nonnative speaker. Overall, my integration was influence by: (1) the living experience with the social community; (2) the acquisition of self-esteem, confidence, and a positive attitude; (3) the ability to learn to adapt and learn the nuances of the new world; and (4) the deeper sensibility of the teachers.