Ana from Spain was fresh off the plane when culture shock hit her like a rock. “Why doesn’t my host mother cook more often?” she wondered resentfully. In her culture, food and love are mixed up together and parents, in particular, show their love by producing fresh, healthy, ingredients and meals as if by magic, day in and day out.
When Ana arrived, host mom had walked her around the kitchen, opening the fridge, touring through cupboards and drawers. What host mom said was, “Make yourself at home! Help yourself to whatever you find!” What Ana heard was, “My host mom isn’t going to take care of me. She doesn’t care about me.”
By the time I met Ana, it was too late. She and host mom were barely exchanging glances, much less speaking. Too many cross-cultural blunders had taken their toll. They had passed the point of no return.
GAP Academy to the rescue! If Ana had completed this online program, culture shock could have been a series of funny stories to remember and retell. Instead, it was a highly stressful experience with a sad and bitter outcome.
Welcome to GAP Academy! Foreign teenagers from around the world preparing to be exchange students to the U.S. begin with three foundational courses: American Culture 101, American Host Family 101, and High School USA 101. Then, targeted mini courses continue supporting them throughout the program.
American Culture 101
What is the first and biggest mistake that every foreigner makes when living abroad? Ethnocentrism, or the unexamined assumption that things are better (and, of course, “more correct”) back home.
In this first course, students learn to see and test this assumption as they learn about American food, eating and lifestyle customs, typical rules and responsibilities for teenagers in the USA and so much more. Will they be “curious” or “critical” in our country? That’s the question they learn to ask and answer throughout the course.
American Host Family 101
What do American host families expect from a teenager? What can a foreign student expect from a typical American family who so generously opens their home to receive them?
In this course, students discover common mistakes that some teens make every year when they join their new family in the USA. They explore our etiquette for asking permission or for favors, apologizing, expressing gratitude American-style and so much more. The bottom line is found in the emotional bank account. How will they invest in each member of their host family? That’s the question they learn to ask and answer throughout this course.
US High School 101
How can foreign students mainstream into the flow of classes, activities and events at an American high school? What do they need to know about their program?
This course supplements the training they receive from their agent in their home country. And it takes them deeper into a labyrinth of not-so-common-sense information as well as tips, tricks and US life hacks that American teenagers mastered years ago. Students also explore common challenges that foreign students face and how to work with their host family, school, coordinator and program to resolve everyday problems as they arise. Living abroad is inherently challenging, so what does it mean to be brave and proactive? That’s the core question in this course.
Intercultural Competence
When a foreign teenager says goodbye at the airport to depart for the USA, she flies into the culture gap. Everything familiar is on one side, far behind her now. Everything unfamiliar is on the other side. She will bridge that gap as she gains intercultural competence (a.k.a. cultural competence).
What is intercultural competence? It is that ability to cross over to the other side and understand your new culture so you can make new friends, fit into your new family and school and feel satisfied as you successfully blend into a whole new world.
GAP Academy jumpstarts intercultural competence by teaching students the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to start growing from day one.
GAP Academy’s Magic Ingredients
There is no magic formula for adapting to life in a foreign country (the USA, in this case). But there are three magic ingredients: knowledge, skills and attitudes. Think about it: American teenagers have been acquiring specific knowledge, skills and attitudes since they were born. This is the stuff competence is made of – and that becomes intercultural competence for foreign teenagers, who must start from scratch!
GAP Academy revolves around carefully crafted lessons that equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to make their year great in the USA.
GAP Academy: Visit and Share!
Would you like to experience GAP Academy’s online, cross-cultural program?
Send an email to info@academygap.com for a free trial link or check out this free mini course to discover how foreign teens learn How to Show Thanks in the USA.
Welcome to GAP Academy! Hope to see you soon…
