How the change of environment may affect the personal growth of an individual. Erasmus Exchange 2020

DOMINIKA KŁOPOTEK

How the change of environment may affect the personal growth of an individual. A study based on my Erasmus Exchange program experience in 2019/2020.

AUTO-ETHNOGRAPHY

Course 3675 PROJECT PARTICIPATION B Supervisor: Els Hannes

HASSELT UNIVERSITY | FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND ARTS | EXCHANGE PROGRAM ARCHITECTURE

AUTO-ETHNOGRAPHY

HOW THE CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT MAY AFFECT THE PERSONAL GROWTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL. A STUDY BASED ON MY ERASMUS EXCHANGE PROGRAM EXPERIENCE IN 2019/2020.

DOMINIKA KŁOPOTEK 17th MAY 2020 Cover page: pictures taken by the author

Supervisor: Els Hannes Course 3675 Project Participation B Exchange Program Architecture Faculty of Architecture and Arts Hasselt University 2019-2020

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

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METHODOLOGY

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PART I

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SOCIAL BACKGROUND & EXPECTATIONS

PART II

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ERASMUS EXPERIENCE & BRANCHES OF GROWTH KNOWLEDGE

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LEARNING PROCESS

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LOCAL CULTURE

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GLOBAL CULTURE

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LANGUAGE IMPROVEMENT

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

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SUMMARY

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CONCLUSIONS & GUIDELINES

REFERENCES

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“You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success - or are they holding you back?”

W. Clement Stone

INTRODUCTION According to Clement Stone, an American businessman, author and philanthropist in “Success Through A Positive Mind Attitude” 1, if people decide to change their life, they should start by changing their environment. That is exactly what Erasmus has offered me: a different environment to change my life. I was aware that travelling to a foreign country comes with several benefits, challenges, and risks, but these have proven to be chances worth taking.

There are many reasons why one could choose to join the Erasmus exchange program, for example, to improve their English language skills, to learn a new language, to get acquainted with a new culture, to make new international friends, as well as to gain more knowledge from other international and local students.

It is amazing to see how, when one changes one or two small daily routines, one’s perspective of priorities and important issues changes too. If there is something worth sharing from this experience is the eye-opening power of an Erasmus exchange: changing my environment has taught me to look at things from a different perspective.

At the end of the day, as architecture students, we are taught to look at moments and objects from different angles. This exchange situation is not different, but it has accelerated the ability to change perspectives. During the first semester abroad, I’ve learned to take up more responsibilities, I’ve made new friends and I’ve taken in all the cultural benefits of this new country. Yet, with all the positives, we were hit with a pandemic and unforeseen circumstances that disrupted the second academic semester abroad. Although it was hard, this has taught me the true meaning of a positive mental attitude to move forward through acceptance and resilience. Finally, everything in life is an experience and to me, the Erasmus exchange program is one of the first building blocks towards enriched student life.

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N.Hill, W.C. Stone (1959), Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude

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METHODOLOGY This study uses a personal experience as data to analyze and describe the cultural experience, and to paint a picture of how an Erasmus mobility program contributes to a student’s personal development. By comparing to two distinctive social contexts (Poland and Belgium) and a range of different experiences during the exchange program, I have attempted to discover the various ways in which I, as a student, have learned, improved and excelled.

I perceive the Erasmus exchange experience as a fascinating journey that has influenced me the most in recent years. By comparing the mindset that was the result of the initial environment (which will be presented in the ‘background’ paragraph here below) with the mindset after the mobility program, I endeavor to describe the impact of changing surroundings. Following the definition of auto-ethnography as: “a genre of writing research that connects the personal to the cultural, placing the self within a social context” 2, I will try to modestly portray the great effect of replacing what is known to what was undiscovered. In the text, I will present some facts and figures about myself like new habits and challenges, and my friends’ view of me.

Personally, I believe that it is crucial for me to learn lessons from the past and to seek new possibilities constantly. That is why this report, as a self-reflection, is significant; it helps me to reflect on my personal growth. Next to that, I want to share the lessons that I’ve learned with peers. This summary may give them the opportunity to gain some wisdom as well.

I decided to structure my work into ‘6 branches of growth’ that I have defined while reflecting upon the experience. This number, 6, is not a coincidence. It refers to the memory span and the limits of short-term memory as recognized by Gorge A. Miller in one of the most highly cited papers in psychology 3. In his: "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information" 4 he discusses (among others) the longest list of items that a person can repeat back in the correct order. The performance of young adults is nearly perfect up to seven different stimuli. Having this in mind, I narrowed down the number of categories of growth to 6. This way, I’ve distinguished the most crucial sections of change and growth in my Erasmus experience. I believe that these competencies and meaningful skills should be acknowledged. I tried to define them in the clearest and coherent way in the remainder of this report.

D. E. Reed-Danahay (1997), Auto/Ethnography: Rewriting the Self and the Social 78-1859739754 Kintsch, Walter; Cacioppo, John T. (1994). "Introduction to the 100th anniversary issue of the Psychological Review" (PDF).

Psychological Review. 101 (2): 195–9. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.101.2.195. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016.

4 Miller, G. A. (1956). "The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information".

Psychological Review. 63 (2): 81–97. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.308.8071. doi:10.1037/h0043158. PMID 13310704.

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PART 1 SOCIAL BACKGROUND & EXPECTATIONS

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„You Can’t Read The Label From Inside The Jar” Southern Folk Wisdom

My name is Dominika and I am a 3rd-year architecture student at Gdansk Technical University (GUT). I am truly in love with the art that we all encounter most often and most intimately because it is functional and necessary to live. That is right. Architecture is my greatest passion.

My ‘problem’ – in terms of study efforts in the strict sense, and according to my dear mom – is that I have a lot of friends, I participate in various initiatives and I travel frequently.

However, I value myself most for what I do, not for what I say, just like Alice Paul, an American suffragist and women's rights activist and founder of the National Woman's Party. She had a motto: “Deeds not words”. So here are various involvements that may give you a general image of who I am through what I do, or who I was and what I did before the Erasmus exchange experience.

One of my favorite initiatives that I have been taking part in for a while is architecture or design festivals. I have been working with the Open House Gdynia, an architecture festival in Gdansk, Poland, for five years now. I started as a volunteer and became a tour guide and host for special guests from an architecture-focused tv channel called Domo+. This beautiful initiative bloomed in the city of Gdansk in 2017, as the Open House Gdańsk Festival. Since then, I have helped as an exhibition coordinator in several architecture landmarks in Gdańsk such as The Museum of the Second World War or as a tour guide for special guests like the great writer and researcher Lilly Bernheimer.

As a Vice President of the Scientific Student Association called Hulaj Urban Squad (HUS), I pay a lot of attention to the means of accessibility in the city. Together with the Open House Gdansk team (this time for the 2018 edition), I designed the ramp which we assembled with the HUS. Its goal was to serve disabled people, seniors or kids on the kick scooters, and to give them access to art, particularly the Kolonia Artystów Gallery in Wrzeszcz.

Other architectures and design festivals that I was involved in are Gdynia Design Week (exhibition coordinator), Free Cities Festival Gdańsk (speaker), Design talks Business Summit in Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia (Changing Pilots team), and Jane’s Walk Gdańsk (co-organization).

From a different angle, I am a co-founder of the Kawa Squada. This is a coffee brand created by three coffee lovers who decided to share a great passion. We’ve designed and built a small

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production line of cold brew beverages, as well as a food truck (quad) to serve this unique drink. To make it happen, we’ve found the best coffee bean suppliers, improved the technology of brewing and attended lots of coffee tasting sessions and coffee festivals. On top of that, when I get a week off from designing and architecture events, I disappear into the mountains like most certified snowboard instructors often do.

SOCIAL BACKGROUND I perceive myself as a social person. I am lucky to have more than 40 good friends at the GUT, a bunch of supportive friends from architecture and design festivals and plenty of buddies from previous schools and different home neighborhoods. Every initiative that I have taken part in, has brought several great people that I am happy to call friends now. The same with drawing school, tennis court or my coffee company backgrounds. The more people I meet, the more I believe in opportunities that relationships bring. Yet, at this stage, before the Erasmus exchange, I wasn’t aware of how ‘local’ or ‘limited’ that network of people was.

Based on the information about me provided here above, you may think that it’s quite a lot and that I am doing well. However, for 2 years I have been studying in the same city, I was involved with similar networks of people and in repetitive events. Even though every year was a bit different and I became more experienced, the changes felt limited.

So, don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, I am just trying to visualize my social context that had an impact on my mindset and my decision to apply for an Erasmus exchange abroad.

I am not the kind of person whose achievements make them proud. In fact, my accomplishments make me put my own standards even higher. They serve me as a source of inspiration and give me the strength to keep going.

What I felt after 2 years of studying architecture cannot be compared to ‘plateauing’ (reaching a state of little or no change after a time of activity or progress). Yet, without spoiling the next part, I just wasn't aware that my progress could seem slow ....

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EXPECTATIONS When I applied for the Erasmus study exchange program, I didn’t have many expectations. I wasn’t pacing around the room and waiting for it to come. I had my busy life in Poland and all I expected was the independence and growth - just a general image.

One of the great features of an Erasmus exchange is that you are often going alone. I knew that in my daily rush, being alone won’t bring me any harm. I knew from my older good friends that there is a lesson behind this experience. They encouraged me to go and choose direction wisely.

I didn’t want to chill in Portugal or to tan on Spanish beaches. I remember this idea of coming back as a better person, whatever it means. Why Belgium? Out of a limited set of possible Erasmus destinations in English speaking countries (with an exchange program fully in English), Hasselt University (UHasselt) was the most triggering one.

At first glance (and all of it become true overall) the UHasselt program looked well structured, explained in a very detail way (to me) and student-oriented. When my good friend, the older architecture student that I look up to, advised me this university, it became clear to me what my first choice was. Hopefully, I would manage to get the opportunity of going there.

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PART 2 ERASMUS EXPERIENCE & BRANCHES OF GROWTH

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“If nothing changes, nothing changes. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’re getting.

You want change, make some.” 5 Courtney C. Stevens

ERASMUS EXPERIENCE & BRANCHES OF GROWTH In today’s globalized world it is crucial for students to possess intercultural competences in addition to strong academic skills. Not only to excel in the international job market but also to perform better in a global environment. Nowadays, universities and other educational institutions intend “to produce global competence or a sense of civic responsibility that extends beyond the local or even national level” 6. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of my Erasmus experience, I defined the intercultural competencies that I’ve obtained in terms of the so-called six branches of growth: knowledge, learning process, global culture, local culture, language improvement and personal development.

‘Intercultural competences’ and ‘global citizenship’ are complex and mixed competences. The analysis of my experiences and the classification into 6 elements have helped me to divide and name the processes that I went through. The simple structure in itself shows the awareness that contributes to personal growth. Paying attention to blind spots and uncovering hidden strengths is a realistic approach to professional development 7. To me, acknowledging and identifying elements of change and growth are fundamental features of good self-reflection. This reflection helped me to think in a more detailed way and analyze the process better, which resulted in achieving a new perspective.

By adopting a questioning approach in those six branches of growth to the experiences and being open to developing a greater level of self-awareness one can show the ability and skill to seek for growth in every aspect of life. My aim is to consciously examine „What I do”, „Where I am going”, What are the opportunities” and “What is the lesson behind the simple activities”. Learning and development is a personal journey but some aspects are common for all of us. I hope that my individual point of view and the ‘six branches clarification’ will help to understand the influence of one’s own social and cultural context to each new experience.

Courtney C. Stevens, The Lies About Truth (2015), HarperTeen Rumbley, L. E., Altbach, P. G., & Reisberg, L. (2012). Internationalization within the higher education context. In D. K. Deardorff, H. de Wit, J. D. Heyl, & T. Adams (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of international higher education (pp. 3-25). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

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Shelton, C (2007) Blind Spots: Achieve success by seeing what you can’t see, John Wiley, Chichester

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KNOWLEDGE According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘knowledge’ is the state of knowing about or being familiar with something. In this report, the term knowledge refers to the content of courses, the amount and depth of facts that one knows as the result of the learning process. This way, knowledge portrayed as a database allows to illustrate the assets of the exchange program in terms of academic education.

When applying to any education institution, people expect to gain some knowledge, to gain some wisdom. It is easy to predict that after one year of studying at the university – no matter where – one will learn something new. What is worth mentioning is that studying abroad delivers diverse content and opens a new door to specific knowledge, at least from my experience.

By diverse content, I mean the eye-opening courses or even single stunning topic that simply do not exist at my home university. At UHasselt, I could choose subjects that deviate from the curriculum in Poland, though are far-reaching across Europe. For example, ‘Zero Pentathlon’ or ‘Globalization and Sustainable Development’ that elaborate on the importance of the presence of sustainable architecture and the impact of human’s habitat on the planet. The lessons that I have learned are much more than the poor explanation I got at the GUT. The GUT didn’t cover all the topics that I had a chance to explore at UHasselt. During the first two years of my architecture education, the lectures that I have attended, were nowhere close to topics like “The decarbonization of the built environment” or the “Circularity in the built environment” that I took part Figure 1 The “Drive 0” conference in Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Netherlands. Study trip to the breeding ground for materials science and innovation during the Zero Pentathlon course.

in, in Belgium. My point here is not to complain about the study program in Gdansk but to clarify the great advantage of an Erasmus exchange, which is the opportunity to explore foreign issues and grow new branches of interest.

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Secondly, I have been introduced to new resources of information like online libraries, research platforms, special interest groups, support forums etc. For example, at the beginning of the academic year, I was invited to the introduction class about the university’s online library with free access to innumerous publications (books, magazines, etc.). At the design studio course, we were asked to find references to our own projects and the teachers proposed some very stimulating websites which I still use today. Not to mention the recommendations from fellow architecture students, their beloved architecture resources of inspiration, motivation and entertainment.

‘I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.’

Albert Einstein

LEARNING PROCESS The second branch is strongly related to the first one but focusing on the way that the knowledge is being transferred. The aim of this paragraph is to evaluate the methods and strategies used by teachers and to acknowledge the presence of various approaches that contribute to broadening students’ horizons. Pupils exposed to new teaching methods gain more than just the product of learning. They gain a fresh perspective on the topic and the guided process of learning itself as well.

“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience”, says Kolb 8. According to this author, effective learning is seen when a person progresses through a cycle of four stages: of (1) having a concrete experience followed by (2) observation of and reflection on that experience which leads to (3) the formation of abstract concepts (analysis) and generalizations (conclusions) which are then (4) used to test the hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences.

In the academic environment, learning is brought about through teaching. The teaching process is the arrangement of the environment in which the students can interact and study how to learn.

The process of teaching and learning aims at the transmission of knowledge as well as the formation of attitudes, values and behavior 9. This is called ‘competence-based education’.

At UHasselt, the teachers’ approach to students differs greatly from what I was used to. I have the impression that some educators really believe in building a teacher-student relationship. They seek to create a friendly environment where students can speak their minds openly and engage.

Saul McLeod Kolb – Learning Styles 2010 www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html Concept of Education, Exam selection, University Gandhinagar online access 26.04.2020 https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/119928/7/07_chapter%201.pdf 8 9

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According to Fishbein and Ajzen: “Attitudes are learned, they determine actions, and these actions are either positive or negative towards an object” (as cited in Köklü, 1995) 10. At the beginning of my Erasmus adventure my attitude towards learning was yet to be developed - everything was new to me and I could change my attitude towards learning easily. That was when I was introduced to the personalized learning environment. Back at GUT I felt known by my teachers but in Belgium, I became equal partners with many of my tutors. The partnership between the educators and me lowered the stress level notably and motivated me to work harder – I didn’t want ‘my teacherfriend’ to be disappointed.

It goes without saying that trust is the most essential element in building relationships, though trust as a means to improve learning needs some explanation. I didn’t know that building trust is an integral component for culturally sensitive pedagogy 11. But to say it with Francensina R. Jackson’s words: "Teachers who build trust have been able to engender in their students a level of confidence and belief that what they do in that classroom is worthwhile. When a student feels that the instructor has a sincere interest in the student’s welfare and viewpoints, an excellent catalyst is provided for higher education performance and contributions to knowledge” 12. Moreover, schema theorists, cognitive scientists, behaviorists, and psychological anthropologists agree that school learning is made meaningful by connecting it to students’ personal, family, and community experiences 13. Again, a very personal aspect of teaching. Collaboration with parents and communities can reveal appropriate patterns of participation, conversation, knowledge, and interests that will make literacy, numeracy, and science meaningful to all students 14.

Muhittin Şahin, Tarık KIŞLA An Analysis of University Students’ Attitudes towards Personalized Learning Environments (2016) Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology Volume 15, Issue 1 11 Jackson, F. R. (1994). Seven strategies to support a culturally sensitive pedagogy. Journal of Reading, 37 , 298-304.

12 Govindarajan, G. (1991). Enhancing oral communication between teachers and students, Education, 112 , 183-186.

13 Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence, University of California. “:Five Standards of Effective Pedagogy” 14 Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence, University of California. “:Five Standards of Effective Pedagogy” 10

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Figure 2. The trip to SRAL, the conservation institute in Maastricht. For the Study Visits course, we had the privilege to visit one of the leading conservation studios in the Netherlands working for public collections within the province of Limburg and nationally. This trip among 2 other trips, was initiated by the International Coordinator arch. Els Hannes to both introduce foreign students to the practical aspect of the architecture studies in this part of Europe and integrate us as a team.

To me, to increase the effectiveness of the learning process, learners have to participate in the development of the class environment too and they have to feel fully responsible for the learning atmosphere. I remember the Study Visits course when nobody wanted to dissatisfy the lecturer (by coming late or underperforming) just because we knew how much she cares about us. She treated us with trust and respect so we were happy to answer with the same. My attitudes towards learning at the university have changed and I became more ‘mature’, intrinsically motivated.

Another interesting strategy was rearranging members of the designing groups. Collective working at GUT happens in the same pairs for the whole semester, so we work closely with one person for almost 5 months. On the contrary to this, in the course of my second semester at UHasselt, tutors challenge us to work on the ambitions of the city in one group and on the masterplan of the location’s project in another team. Finally, it was my pleasure to work with 8 different students and to exchange many ideas and remarks with them. I am aware that not everybody has this privilege to work in a small group on an Erasmus exchange (even if Erasmus students usually represent the minority) but I believe that many will experience slightly different teaching methods from what they are used to.

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Figure 3. The brainstorming at my Design Studio 4 course.

At the beginning of the semester, a typical creative process outcome consists of dozens of sticky notes, draft maps and quick sketches. The designing architecture was one challenge, designing a language in which we can efficiently communicate our ideas within a group was the second. All the ideas used to be merged onto one large idea map.

Every time we sought to discover a common understanding of the issues and prioritize them together. During this sharing, many new ideas arose by association, thanks to speaking (drawing) out loud ideas of four to five different architecture students.

At my home university, we still struggle with online learning and effective communication outside the classroom. GUT’s online learning platform fails to deliver information in an intuitive way and it takes a lot of time to find what you are looking for. Additionally, some professors do not want to upload their presentations online – in the past, some of their work has been sold online without their permission, hence the resistance – so some courses do not exist online at all. From what I have experienced, UHasselt is far from being like that. The Blackboard (UHasselt’s online learning platform) serves as one collective database where all the courses are explained, and content is shared. If not there, teachers upload the files on Google Drive, share ‘Padlet’-boards or other online platforms. I’ve learned a lesson that communication is crucial to optimize the work and to eliminate misunderstandings. I wasn’t aware of how I had suffered from poor online transmission before I experienced what kind of tools are available at the university abroad.

I have to nuance the above comparison of education styles at UHassselt and GUT, though. What I have experienced at UHasselt might result from the different level of courses in the curriculum as well. From the second year bachelor at GUT I have jumped to some first year master courses at UHasselt. There is a fundamentally different dynamic in these different levels of the curriculum.

The secondary school teacher-classroom dynamic which can still be found in the lower years of higher education hardly occurs at the more mature master level. Often at UHasselt, a class felt more like a group discussion, rather than a game of scrawling down notes while you’re being lectured to. I found great value in this stronger emphasis on independent study, but I am aware 20

that at the beginning of architecture studies there is a certain amount of hard knowledge and skills that have to be taught in an old fashioned way. Consequently, the difference that I have experienced between the two learning styles might just as well originate from my steep study career advancement during my study exchange.

LOCAL CULTURE Rather than explaining what cultural differences I have experienced between ‘Fries eating & beer drinking’ Belgians and ‘Barszcz eating & vodka drinking’ Polish, in this branch of growth, I want to explain how adjusting to local culture takes place, and how it can be enhanced. (For those of you interested in local drinks, I have included one significant image).

Figure 4 What a surprise to be greeted by a shot of alcohol at the opening of the academic year. In Poland, alcohol at the university, especially amongst students, is strictly banned. This year I was invited to the old city Townhall to try the ancestor of modern gin – Jenever.

The traditional liquor has a special bond with the city and it seems like you cannot celebrate properly without it in here. Hasselt hosts the Belgium’s national Jenever Festival every October. Imagine, there is a Jenever Museum that shows 180 jenever distillers that were in Hasselt 150 years ago. In the 19th century the average Belgian drank 9.5 liters of jenever every year.

ACCEPT THE CURVE Adjusting to a new culture has its emotional ups and downs. The typical pattern of cultural adjustment often consists of distinct phases: Honeymoon, Crisis, Recovery, and Adjustment. It has been visualized by U-curve of cross-cultural adjustment, a theory first developed by Sverre Lysgaard in 1955 in his book “The American Experiences of Swedish Students”. It is useful to explain the Erasmus experience, social and emotional shifts.

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The first phase is full of feelings of excitement and optimism as we curiously explore everything when exposed to a new environment or culture. At the beginning, I perceived my adventure overwhelmingly positive. I have been introduced to an enormous amount of personalities, happy to get along. I have been exposed to new opportunities, like events, initiatives. Even a trip to the local grocery store was fascinating due to the product differentiation on the Belgium market: 50 different types of beer, wow!

Subsequently, the second phase is known as a ‘culture shock’. The disorientation and anxiety come out when difficulties in assimilating to the new culture appear. To me, it popped up in forms of self-doubts rethinking decisions that brought me to Belgium. I asked myself: “Am I good enough to ‘compete’ with older architecture fellows?” I had this image of me being a better person, more mature, articulate – all thanks to Erasmus exchange. Somehow, I could only see the final product, the outcome, but something overshadowed the effort that lies behind it. At this phase, the battle became clear to me. I faced problems with communication in the student group where I was the

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only non-Dutch speaking student, and with the general overload of work. I was annoyed with Belgian rainy days, thinking that I couldn’t do anything about it.

After all, the recovery and adjustment phases brought solutions gradually. At this phase, I discovered that hundreds of artists from all around the world come to Belgium to create masterpieces portraying bad weather - because it rains so much in here. Famous examples include Keiko Tanabe, a Japanese painter who lives in the United States and the world-renowned Leonid Afremov, a master of the palette-knife technique 15 . I became comfortable in my new environment, seeking for new adventures to come. Just like the Honeymoon phase but more rational. I continued expanding my social networks and exploring new ideas. When I got used to the new environment, I even allowed myself to apply for a new architecture competition. Feeling stable and balanced I became confident in facing challenges and energized to work harder.

The curve of cultural adaptation helped me to recognize the process that happened in me and to justify my self-doubts. I realized that I shouldn’t expect my study abroad experience to be filled with rainbows and sunshine all the time. It’s normal to feel miserable at an advanced stage of the crisis phase, and I don’t have to feel guilty about it. What is more important, it is soon to be over as the adjustment phase is right behind the corner. It reminds me that unpleasant feelings are temporary and all I need is to give myself time to work through the process.

TAKE INITIATIVE I wasn’t only passing through the country as a traveler on a holiday trip, I have officially become a citizen of the city of Hasselt and wanted to make the best out of it. When living abroad for a longer time, integration and participation are key elements to guarantee the best experience. The socialization patterns are different across cultures and the way one goes along and build a friendship is quite different everywhere. I realized that, more often than not, I had to be the one to start a conversation. Communicating with Dutch students usually began from my own initiative, though it took me some time to understand their conversation habits. In the Zero Pentathlon course, I was the only exchange student in the workgroup and some Belgian students were shy or nervous to speak in English. I can imagine the same situation in Poland when everybody is fearful of making language mistakes. At this point, it might not be the ‘local Belgium culture’ but local culture during the Erasmus exchange. Often as a student from abroad, when talking to local students, one has to show more initiative. You have to perform above the average to start and keep the conversation going.

The best way to immerse yourself in a new culture is by taking part in local events. The greatest tool that I recommend besides the local street posters and newspapers is the Facebook feature 15

P.Lepoutre Why does it rain so much in Belgium? 28.02.2019 VETO Independent student magazine

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called “events near me”. Geolocation helped me to get to know many, like my beloved free piano concerts in the city (held in ‘Bol Piano's & Vleugels’), late-night jazz sections, or bigger events like Bright (Brussels Light festival).

I knew that, as a student, I must get involved in the events that UHasselt has to offer. This is the most effective way to connect with people who have common interests, no matter where.

I believe that there is a club for everyone at most universities, but few operate in English. Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a must to get involved with students from different cultural backgrounds and to learn about locals too. It is the perfect way to break the ice for someone shy or reserved.

However, what suited me even better, was to be part of the International Council of UHasselt.

This less entertainment-oriented organization is focused on one topic: improving the experience of studying abroad for all international students. I guess not many universities provide that kind of association but it’s definitely worth checking. By sharing experiences and giving feedback one can create a better future for next Erasmus students. Together we formulated ideas and set up integration meetings to hear as many opinions as possible.

GLOBAL CULTURE “Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can do it alone.” 16 Margaret J. Wheatley

During the Dutch intense course at the start of the academic year in Belgium, in a class full of students I was the only person from Europe. My perception of citizenship has changed dramatically since. I am Polish, but that day, I realized that I belong to the greater community. I became aware of global citizenship. I gained cultural self-awareness. What is even more important, I became aware of how culture has influenced me. With cultural self-awareness, the attention to cultural experience 16

Margaret J. Wheatley (2010). “Turning to One Another (Large Print 16pt)”, p.23, ReadHowYouWant.com

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is likely to heighten the importance of cultural membership 17. With this class – one of the first at Hasselt University – began the process during which I realized that the culture that I belong to has had much influence on me at both levels, Polish and European. Later on, I discovered and I acknowledged that social identification facilitates the experience of social support (people that kept me motivated and encouraged me to perform better). Social identification also serves as a psychological resource that boosts self-esteem (confidence in my own ability and value, me being happy with my own character) and enhances individuals’ sense of personal control 18 (that I am in charge of my own life).

Cross-cultural empathy is crucial to develop a real understanding across cultures. I appreciate dr.

Pedersen’s definition of culture, as ‘learned perspectives that are unique to a particular culture’ (for instance, the Spanish students in my class were always late, while this barely ever happened with students from Hong Kong) and ‘common ground universals that are shared across different groups’ (for instance, the appraisal of quality in architecture was equal, whether the students came from Belgium or Italy) 19. To me, respect for others’ perspectives plays a vital role in understanding the cultures. Withholding judgement and constant curiosity to discover each other’s worldviews help me noticing the value in cultural diversity. Seeing the world through another’s eyes has allowed me to truly accept the cultural values and beliefs of others. Although I travel a lot and I have come across multicultural environments, it was this Erasmus study exchange experience which developed this cross-cultural competence in me.

In addition to its benefits in daily life, cross-cultural empathy contributes to a higher level of my imagination in architecture as well. For example, it inspires me to redefine users, their activity patterns and their predictable impressions in some of my architecture projects. Having a supportive group of people with different nationalities or backgrounds to discuss my project with, can make all the difference. Feedback given by architecture students from various design backgrounds is priceless. It might sound scary to speak openly about your project with strangers from all around the world. What has helped me a lot was this belief that we all came at UHasselt for the same reason – to learn. At the very beginning, when I came to UHasselt, finding a common ground was a challenge but as time went on we couldn’t stop exchanging remarks and ideas.

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Spears, R. (2011). Group identities: The social identity perspective. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook

of identity theory and research (pp. 201-224). New York, NY: Springer.

Lu, C., & Wan, C. (2018). Cultural Self-Awareness as Awareness of Culture’s Influence on the Self: Implications for Cultural Identification and Well-Being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(6), 823–837. doi:10.1177/0146167217752117 19 Pedersen, P. (1991). Multiculturalism as a generic approach to counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70, 6–12 18

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Figure5. I was delighted to share this edition of the Dutch Design Week with my new, dear friend from India, Shailja. We were exploring exhibitions together, pointing out things that emotionally stirred us both.

She gave me many insights of her own perspective that has come from her upbringing and culture. For the very first time, I have experienced the intercultural differences in appreciating the artworks. We admired the same exhibition, we followed comparable education paths yet different sense of aesthetics made this experience so powerful and unique. I remember that we couldn’t stop talking being so curious about each other remarks.

The job market is changing and will continue to change. To me one thing remains the same. As Keith Ferrazzi, 20 an American author and entrepreneur, brightly said in one of his bestselling books: “Today’s most valuable currency is social capital, defined as the information, expertise, trust and total value that exist in the relationships you have and social networks to which you belong.”, summarized as: SUCCESS IN LIFE = (THE PEOPLE YOU MEET) + (WHAT YOU CREATE TOGETHER) Collaborating with peers from around the world was one of the best aspects of the Erasmus experience. In less than a year, I managed to create a completely new network of people. People that serve as an inspiration, support me or even empower me to seek for more. This year, on my birthday I received dozens of wishes form countries that I have never been to, but I have friends 20

Ferrazzi, Keith, and Tahl Raz (2005). Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success: One Relationship at a Time. New York:

Currency Doubleday. Print.

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in. Those new relationships give me innumerous opportunities to create something unique together, something beyond the capability of one person or even one culture. I experienced this in real life: “Within diverse teams, the presence of multicultural members significantly enhances the teams' creative performance.” 21

LANGUAGE IMPROVEMENT

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.” 22 Geoffrey Willans

This statement by the English writer, Geoffrey Willans, feels intuitive to anyone who has studied a second language. It has been proved that learning to speak a foreign language helps to understand one’s native language better. To go even further, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe found learning a second language so important that he made a similar, but more extreme, affirmation: “He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.” 23 I learned it the hard way. This aspect is important in my experience. Therefore, I decided to dedicate one of the six branches of growth to ‘language improvement’, as it deserves to be named and distinguished.

Language is not only speech and reading/writing, but also non-verbal communication in culture, gestures and mentalities. I discovered that everyday use of English for more than 7 months, not only improved my speaking skills (dramatically). I even reached the point when ‘speaking the mind’ can happen in two languages, using words and body language.

Moreover, the learning or improvement in one skill or mental function can positively influence another one. This is present not only in human intelligence but also in machine intelligence. The effect is called ‘transfer learning’, and besides being an area of fundamental research in machine learning, it has potentially wide-ranging practical applications. In April, when I came back to Poland, I video-called my dear friend, Ola. It took her 5 minutes of our conversion to spot the difference in me speaking in Polish. What she said was that I don’t rush anymore and I was using more formal words. I realized that while I was trying to speak better English, it made me speak better Polish.

When I came to Belgium I was aware that I have a lot of room for improvement when it comes Based on Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour Sujin Jang who analysed data from 2117 teams over five years, using archival data from a global business student competition. Human Resources Director „Do diverse teams perform better?” https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/general/do-diverse-teams-perform-better/151456, online access 18/04/2020 22 P.Lee Transfer Learning. https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27125, online access 22/05/2020 23 J. Wolfgang von Goethe (1821) Maximen und Reflexionen pt. 2, no. 91 21

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to English. During my stay I have practiced speaking (with my Erasmus friends), I have read several books in English and I have even completed some English workbooks to learn new vocabulary. I had basic communications skills but the main idea behind it was to improve. By focusing on improving the quality of speech in English, and without reading in Polish or learning new Polish words, my Polish language skills improved ‘by mistake’, or rather ‘by accident’.

I perceive myself as a perfectionist and I can’t stand it when I am not good enough. Publishing unfinished work, presenting without practice or missing the deadlines are not an option for me. I had the same feeling about me speaking ‘not so perfect’ English. Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor and bestselling author who has studied shame and vulnerability for more than a decade, says: “perfectionism is nothing more than a form of armor we use to protect ourselves from being judged.” 24 Thanks to the Erasmus exchange experience I recognize that this perfectionism and striving for the ideal (often motivating me to seek a better performance) is slowing down the speaking skills’ improvement. It took me some time to understand the importance of having the courage to speak and to face the imperfection. Luckily, the ‘exchange student environment’ is unusually friendly – one is not judged for making mistakes by others who are in a similar situation and making mistakes as well – so I could focus on getting comfortable speaking. My fluency comes from practice as well as courage. Last but not least, the Erasmus exchange has helped me to overcome my language barriers so much that now I consider doing my Master’s degree in Architecture abroad.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT “Once Erasmus, always Erasmus”

The Erasmus program has equipped me with one of the best ‘mood-boosting strategies’ that I have ever tried out, and I hope that this skill will stay with me forever. When certain tasks need to be done in a specific time frame, it’s easier to predefine the good pace of work. I realized that to use my limited time abroad well, I couldn’t let myself waste a day by doing nothing. The time in Belgium was really precious to me and I am thankful that I noticed it early enough. One of my favorite architectural quotes says that: “Form follows function”, (coined by architect Louis H. Sullivan in his 1896 essay "The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered”). Recently, I have discovered that my new ‘mood-boosting strategy’ can be simplified to a very similar statement, namely: “Mood Lynn Okura, Brené Brown: Perfectionism Is The 20-Ton Shield We Use To Protect Ourselves, “Oprah’s Lifeclass.” http://www.oprah.com/index.html online access 20/04/2020 24

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follows action”. Frequently, to succeed in the far-reaching challenges, my best strategy was to simply show up, no matter how I wished to stay in bed. Woody Allen once said that: "80 percent of success is just showing up" and it’s what this mobility program has taught me well. The magic is in the effort of showing up and starting, in whatever state you are with the work that you were required to do. I kept on forcing myself to show up, to be the one that speaks first, to read more books in English, to join the student association and those actions made my motivation and mood increase. Honestly, from this experience, it is dedicating yourself to a firm daily routine that builds motivation. Chuck Close spoke about this when he noted that: “Inspiration is for amateurs…the rest of us just show up and get to work”. In an interview with ‘Inside the Painter’s Studio’, quoted by Lifehacker 25, the painter and photographer pointed out that sometimes you have to get to work before inspiration comes in order to enter that creative headspace. After 8 months of repetition, the habit not to waste time, to show up and work, has rooted in me a constant ‘mood for development’.

Some tasks may not be considered as great challenges to proudly overcome with clapping devotees all around. Sometimes they don’t taste like a sweet victory but rather like a small, plain checkbox that has been finally checked. When the ‘mood follows action’ empowers to me start, it is also a belief that keeps me on track – not the promise of glory. The overflow of all my commitments pushes the boundaries of my own standards for the work that I have to do, but when I rely on my goals (that have to be wisely defined first), those boundaries cannot be moved. It is setting personal standards and stick to them whatever comes and whatever the gratification is expected afterwards. I have learned to stay the course to be at peace with myself, incessantly follow the goals.

I have learned this the hard way, even before my Erasmus experience. Classes at the home university can be hard sometimes. For instance, I had to deal with a new curriculum and teachers’ strange assignments. Later on in the semester, I understood what to expect from the lecture and whether there was anything that I could benefit from. I simply knew when I didn’t do enough project work to show to my tutor. I could tell. Also, I was thinking: “the weather is perfect for a bike tour around the city and missing one lecture seems to be harmless”. The problem appears when skipping lectures becomes a common practice. I have to admit that I have replaced my classes for another activity a few times. I have learned a lesson that it doesn’t pay off if it is against your rules.

I guess no one ever decides that from this day on I am going to be a ‘truant’. It’s a process that I don’t want to start. I have witnessed my fellows losing their interest in their studies, gradually of

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, online access 15.05.2020

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course. My Erasmus experience was the final turning point. I didn’t want to miss my wakeup call, ever (again).

What I want to point out is that when making a decision about attending classes or not, I am not able to think clearly. Often, I can’t even imagine what I am about to miss when I do or do not attend classes. Everybody knows this experience when a certain accidental decision has brought unbelievable outcomes. It is called serendipity. At first glance, it seems to be a trivial action, but afterwards, it has opened new doors. I remember one of my first meetings with UHasselt International Council board members. I had to wait more than one hour after a whole day at the university for the session to start. I believe that I took a random chair next to a guy in a black sweater. The meeting was awfully boring. Luckily my neighbor shared his screen with me and we could watch the Lebanese revolution happening live. That was how I met Nicolas, my dearest friend from the Erasmus adventure, a great interior architect who I look up to. Long, meaningful conversations with him opened my eyes to the aspects of interior architecture, management (his studies), the ‘Internet of Things’ and way much more. I had no expatiations to leave this meeting with a new friend. I couldn’t predict it and I can’t even envision my loss when I would have refused to take action when I would have decided not to participate. In terms of personal development, the Erasmus exchange reinforces the fact that not making a decision is big a decision. You let the circumstances take its course without your choices. One can’t be skipping lectures or missing meetings all the time. One should allow serendipity to happen. So be aware to project yourself in a positive way.

The “mood follows action” principle was not only visible in my school (related) work, but also in my leisure activities. And there too, it paid off. I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t buy a university sports card in Belgium. I decided to subscribe to 3 sports: ice hockey, kickboxing and relax yoga. Yoga and ice hockey had both been in my life before (at a beginner level). Kickboxing, I gave it the first shot.

I wasn’t planning to ever learn how to fight but an opportunity appeared and I was in my mood for growth, so why not? All the classes were great. I met people with passion and positive energy.

Monday’s relaxing yoga classes set my mind for the week, Tuesday night with kickboxing kept my body in shape and Wednesday on ice taught me how to play real hockey (still a beginner but way much better than it used to be). Of course, I skipped some sports classes when intense architecture courses made me do it. Nevertheless, sports at the campus improved my time management (together 6 hours per week to add in the schedule), my ability to be mindful (yoga practice with a professional tutor) and my interest in new sports in general.

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SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS & GUIDELINES

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”What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” 26 Vincent van Gogh

Throughout this paper, I have tried to reflect upon my Erasmus experience along the lines of 6 branches of growth: knowledge, learning process, local culture, global culture, language improvement and personal growth. Being quarantined and locked down in Poland from half March 2020 to the end of May 2020, I have reflected on these branches of progress that occurred to me in the past seven months of studying and living in Belgium. Crafting myself in the changing environment has enriched my mindset and broadened my horizon, which taught me that one should never postpone a task or a job even during unforeseen circumstances, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Adding to that, one of the dearest and most inspiring quotes I live by is of Thomas Jefferson: “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”, which leads me to discuss the importance of living in the present and making the most out of it. Carpe diem. To me, the first of his ten rules for a good life is all about the present. What we manage to achieve belongs to us and the present is where we get things done, not in the future. The final events of my Erasmus experience highlighted the importance of living the present moment. On the contrary to what I have been practicing as an architecture student, the true meaning of life is the accumulation of experiences throughout someone’s day by day journey. However, as a planner or a designer, we tend to focus and design for the future by, for example, predicting the lifespan of buildings, city neighborhoods, or even the flow of people through a city street. We do this in order to design a limitless piece of structure that will later define spaces and environments for people to work, live, or navigate through.

Figure 6 I took this picture when passing through narrow streets in the city center of Antwerp. The COVID-19 made me leave Belgium so suddenly and I miss the days like this one, when you travel to find inspiration and you get it from everywhere. I did undervalue the richness of stimulation on the foreign ground when a lot is new or unlike. Even a candid picture of a shopping window display (still under construction) captivated me with the mysticism of its meaning. It could have been designed with no deeper meaning behind it but to me, in this charming city, among stunning creations, this art piece manifested the power of nature.

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Quoted by Irving Stone in Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh (1995), Plume

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Without a doubt making predictions (or envisioning the future) is a fundamental part of my work.

One thing I wish I had done more of, is investing more time in exploring and travelling through the cities and countries of the northwestern part of Europe, rather than waiting for the best time to do that.

To begin, I would like to point out that the changes in my daily routines have helped me to discover and define the branches of growth. The paper that you are reading is my personal representation of how I have developed, and what I have gained from the Erasmus exchange program. I believe that there is no standard way to advise my reader into a mobility program. On the other hand as I have discussed above, each person is capable of allowing himself to develop a higher level of selfawareness and learn from his experience. The branches of growth are my personal simplification of the diverse competences that I have gained. I don’t want to claim that this is the one and only proper way to experience it. The paper is based on my personal experiences and remarks, although supported by solid references. It’s not anyone else’s responsibility to show us the right way. It’s our responsibility to find it. Sharing my six focal points may help one to uncover the treasure trove.

The first branch, the knowledge, refers to the diverse content of lectures and all the resources that I have discovered thanks to the exchange program. In the second ‘learning process’ paragraph, I’ve discussed the differences in curriculum and approach of students, and how different education styles influence the student’s motivation and commitment. The third branch shows how adjusting to the local culture and how being exposed to different cultures can help one’s character to develop and grow. The paragraph deals with ‘how to adjust to local culture’ more than describing ‘what local culture in Belgium was to me’. I did it on purpose to make this text more adjustable to similar experiences across the globe. Speaking about the globe, the global culture branch comes right after the local. An opening quote revealed the main point of the section, which is collaboration. One should take into consideration the benefits of diversity and the mixture of international and national students which helps to build a cross-cultural experience and creates meaningful relationships and friendships. Another benefit one usually takes for granted in an exchange experience is learning a new language or becoming fluent due to the intense use of it.

Also, I mentioned how learning or improving one skill or mental function can positively influence another one. The final branch is about personal development - like the icing on the cake. One may indeed notice that the above-written text is all about personal development, not just the final branch. They are correct; all the branches of growth cover activities that improve personal awareness and have a potential for personal development. Only in this particular situation of personal growth, I’ve discussed personal strategies that can play a crucial role when you want to get the most out of what the university and the study exchange have to offer.

As this paper comes to an end, I would like to emphasize the importance of motivated perception.

This is how people tend to see what they are motivated to notice. Our perception is very much selective and that has been discussed in psychological research for decades. In one classic example in the visual domain, Dartmouth and Princeton students watched the same football game. Fans of

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each team subsequently reported seeing the other team commit more fouls 27. My assumptions and goals before coming to Belgium were that I wanted to grow and become a better person.

Hence, my perception of the Erasmus exchange program has been an inspiring and motivating experience.

Referring back to the expectations at the beginning of the text, I noticed that I did not have a particular prediction but I assumed that general improvement would take place. However, it was not a conscious process. I believe that the subconscious part of the brain can do extensive work for people when used wisely. If we see what we are looking for, why not search for six branches of growth during the Erasmus exchange? I only became aware of it when I began looking back, and have discovered that, if I had known all this before embarking on this adventure, the experience could have been even more intense.

Finally, the goal of this text was to try to shed a light on a new perception of what a student exchange program can add to a person’s life. Such auto-ethnographies can provide a platform of motivation, perception, and excitement for students that are planning to embark on new journeys in their life. I only wish that I had the chance to read such ethnographies before my mobility program. Maybe this fruitful adventure that I had in Belgium could have been even more exciting.

Figure 6 ‘Erasmus spirit’ in front of the Central Station in Antwerp. I haven’t heard about a single student who regrets participating in the Erasmus exchange program. Take courage and apply!

Leong, Y. C., Hughes, B. L., Wang, Y., & Zaki, J. (2019). Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying motivated seeing. Nature Human Behaviour. doi:10.1038/s41562-019-0637-z 27

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Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. Shelton, C (2007) Blind Spots: Achieve success by seeing what you can’t see, John Wiley, Chichester Saul McLeod Kolb – Learning Styles 2010 www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html Concept of Education, Exam selection, University Gandhinagar online access 26.04.2020 https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/119928/7/07_chapter%201.pdf Jackson, F. R. (1994). Seven strategies to support a culturally sensitive pedagogy. Journal of Reading, 37 , 298-304.

Govindarajan, G. (1991). Enhancing oral communication between teachers and students, Education, 112 , 183-186.

Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence, University of California. “:Five Standards of Effective Pedagogy” P. Lepoutre Why does it rain so much in Belgium? 28.02.2019 VETO Independent student magazine Margaret J. Wheatley (2010). “Turning to One Another (Large Print 16pt)”, p.23, ReadHowYouWant.com Spears, R. (2011). Group identities: The social identity perspective. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 201-224). New York, NY: Springer.

Lu, C., & Wan, C. (2018). Cultural Self-Awareness as Awareness of Culture’s Influence on the Self: Implications for Cultural Identification and Well-Being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(6), 823–837. doi:10.1177/0146167217752117 Pedersen, P. (1991). Multiculturalism as a generic approach to counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 70, 6–12 Ferrazzi, Keith, and Tahl Raz. Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success: One Relationship at a Time. New York: Currency Doubleday, 2005. Print.

Based on Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour Sujin Jang that analysed data from 2,117 teams over five years, using archival data from a global business student competition. Human Resources Director „Do diverse teams perform better?” , online access 18/04/2020 Peter Lee, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Research „ what scientific term or concept ought to be more widely known?”, 2017 Lynn Okura, Brené Brown: Perfectionism Is The 20-Ton Shield We Use To Protect Ourselves, online access 20/04/2020 Leong, Y. C., Hughes, B. L., Wang, Y., & Zaki, J. (2019). Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying motivated seeing.

Nature Human Behaviour. doi:10.1038/s41562-019

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