Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

Welcome to the Intercultural Blog Carnival, brought to you by English and Culture! We have gathered eight outstanding articles from some of the best professionals in the intercultural field. These articles offer guidance, entertainment and inspiration for your adjustment to life in a new culture. Have you recently moved to the United States or another foreign country for work or education? Are you looking for tips on how you can feel comfortable in your new home, meet new people and understand the new culture? If so, this is the place for you!

How can we talk about cultural differences without putting people into boxes and stereotyping them? Today, cultural awareness is becoming more and more important in our globalized world. In places like New York and Boston and other major cities around the world, we are starting to realize that if we investigate how cultural differences affect our interactions with other people, we can benefit from the enormous potential for creativity and success that an intercultural workplace or community provides. So we know that cultural differences are important and we also know that stereotypes are dangerous.  How do we develop our cultural awareness and avoid relying on stereotypes to deepen our knowledge of other cultures? Keep reading for the answer to this question and more.

Moving to a new country is an exciting and scary experience! If you have recently moved to New York or Boston and you want to connect with the international community in your city, we have some great expatriate resources for you today! Meeting other newcomers and international professionals who are also getting used to life in the United States will help you to adjust to the culture and will give you a chance to practice your English and expand your social or professional network. A lot of my students in New York and Boston tell me that they can't find any opportunities to practice their English outside of class and meet new people. In this post, you have 5 ways to connect with the people around you. Success is about connections! So get out there, practice your English and enjoy your new city!!

Are cultural transitions challenging for you?

Today's blog topic is NYC English! What do you know about the New York City subway? If you are thinking about coming to NYC to learn English, this post is a great way for you to get an idea of what it's like to ride the subway in New York. If you are already in New York and you ride the subway every day, you can learn new vocabulary expressions and idioms that New Yorkers use every day! Do you know what it means to be "in the red" or to "get the hang of it" ? If not, listen to the conversation about the subway in New York. Don't forget to take the quiz at the end to test your listening comprehension!

Cultural intelligence is a person's ability to adjust their behavior to a new cultural environment. Is cultural intelligence common sense? Is it something that you can just "figure out" by living in a new culture? Some people think it is but then they realize that their business interactions aren't going smoothly with their new American colleagues in New York and they can't figure out why.  Cultural intelligence is not always common sense. It is knowledge and skills that many people don't realize that they need until they make a mistake. In today's post I have some suggestions about how you can improve your cultural intelligence by observing, speaking with local people and asking "why?"

One of the most important tasks where you will need your English in New York is finding an apartment. In the last New York English lesson you learned which neighborhoods are up-and-coming. Now that you have some neighborhoods in mind that you want to check out, you will learn some vocabulary words and expressions that you can use to communicate with the landlord, the broker or your potential roommates. Try the quiz below to test your vocabulary for apartment hunting. Choose the correct words to fill in the blanks in this typical telephone conversation between a landlord and an apartment hunter.

Today we have a New York English lesson. In this lesson, you can practice your listening and learn how to find an apartment in New York.  Finding an apartment in New York can be daunting! There are many things to think about! Which neighborhood is right for you? What kind of apartment do you want? And most importantly, what is your budget? I remember apartment hunting during the summer of 2006. After viewing twelve different apartments, I finally found the perfect place and I had an hour to get to the broker's office to sign the lease before someone else took the apartment. Apartment hunting is done a little bit differently in New York than in other cities. There is a lot of competition and prices are high so if you are learning English, you need to be prepared and know the correct phrases and vocabulary words to use when you start your search. In this New York English lesson series, we will give you some ideas about great neighborhoods to check out and the vocabulary words and phrases that you need to get the apartment you want.

Your American English tutoring classes are a good opportunity to learn more than just English speaking skills. You can also learn about daily life in the United States with your native English speaking tutor. One of the questions that a lot of my students have asked during our English tutoring sessions is about tipping in the United States. When and where should you leave a tip? How much money should you leave? If you are an international professional working in the United States for a few years or if you are a short term traveler visiting New York or Boston for a few days, this listening activity will tell you what you need to know about tipping.