Bowling

In the three years I’ve lived in Athens, I’d never been inside the Rollerbowl in Palmer Street. I’m terrible at bowling even on the Wii. I avoid bowling because it is not a big self-esteem booster. I walked into the bowling alley and I realized that OPIE had reserved the whole alley for their party. They had pizza and music was playing. I was under the impression that only a few students were bowling during regular hours. This is the point that I felt a little guilty for inviting myself. I met up with Ana and Dr. Krzic and they introduced me to a few of the students.

Dr. Krzic told me to speak English with them because many of the students speak in their native tongue when they are together. I can relate. When I was Spain, I spoke way too much English with my fellow OU students because it was easier and sometimes the Spanish was overwhelming. Dr. Krzic told me that a majority of the students this quarter are from China. I could hear a flurry of rapid Chinese being spoken around me. It was a little intimidating because I could not understand what the students were saying.

He Luran, Pan Lujie, Candy, Wang Li, Zhou Li and Julia

The women that I talked to for most of the night had just come to the U.S. a few weeks before, but they still were able to communicate with me with a few bumps in the road. I first tried to explain what a blog was to them so they could better understand what I was doing. The loud music in the background made it difficult for us to hear each other, so I took another approach. I just explained that I was a journalism student and I was doing a project for class. I explained that the information would be on the Internet. They told me it would be OK to take their photos.

They were very nice and seemed excited to meet another American student. One of their conversation partners, Julia Chapman was also there.

Ana told me that American students can sign up to become conversation partners. The American students speak English with the international students and meet up with them to help immerse the students in the culture. For example Julia said that she is going to take her partner, Candy, ice skating, to a hockey game and to at Donkey Coffee. Julia said that she decided to become a conversation partner after she heard about it in her linguistics class. She has some free time this quarter and thought it would be interesting to learn more about international students.

Most of the women never had bowled before or they had bowled only once in their lives. Julia took a bowling class, so she was very helpful. She set up the names in the computer and showed the students how to hold the ball and roll it down the lane. Some students were pretty good and others had bowling skills like mine.

While the students were bowling, I took photos and chatted with them. I learned a few new things about China and the Chinese language. For example, in Chinese names, the family name comes before the individual name. So if my name were Chinese, it would be, Burkhardt Gail. Many of the women have chosen American names because it is difficult for English speakers to pronounce their names in Chinese. I encouraged them to give me their Chinese names and I tried to pronounce them the best I could.

I learned about different areas in China. I have heard that people from China have a certain pride in their country and region so I asked them to tell me some of their hometown traditions. They were all excited to tell me about their towns. I noticed some frustration when they could not figure out all of the words and I could not determine what they were trying to say. They told me about certain festivals and foods, like fish, that are common to their areas.

I also asked them what they liked about OU. Pan Lujie told me that she likes the size of the university and Athens. She thinks she’ll be able to adapt quickly.

“The environment is similar to my home town,” she said.

I was impressed at how well the newer students already seemed to be adapting. I talked to other students from China and a student from Saudi Arabia. I did not meet all of the students because the music was playing loudly and it was difficult to communicate. I was impressed with everyone’s English skills. Everyone was willing to talk to me and improve their English. If they did not know how to say something they asked for help. No one seemed to be shy or afraid to speak. It was interesting to see the social aspect of OPIE and to learn a little about China. At the end of the night, a bus took a large number of the students to their residence hall. I headed home glad that I was able to go to the bowling event, but I didn’t actually have to bowl.

Let's start at the very beginning...

Why am I writing this blog?

My Online Journalism Fundamentals professor assigned us a journalistic blogging project. She did not give us many guidelines for choosing a topic; she just told us to think of a topic that interested us or of a story that is not always told.

Immediately I began thinking about a topic that could link Spanish. Spanish is my second major and one of the passions in my life. In the spring of 2008, I studied abroad in Spain. It was a wonderful and at times, nerve-wracking experience. I remember being in awe of my surroundings and feeling so fortunate to be able to travel. I loved speaking Spanish and hearing it all the time, but I would get frustrated when I could not understand my host mom or I could not put my thoughts into words. There were also times I felt overwhelmed, lonely and homesick.

I wanted to do a blog that captured the rollercoaster of emotions that students experience when studying in another country. I also wanted to see how students learn a new language. While in Spain, I assisted in a classroom with students who were learning English and it was fascinating to see how they were learning my native language. I had heard about the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE), but I did not know much about it. I decided to look into it because I wanted to understand the experiences of the students who had traveled so far around the world to study in Ohio. I was excited that I would also be able to observe international students learning English.

Where to begin?

My research began at the top. I sat down and talked to OPIE director Gerry Krzic about the program.

Dr. Krzic told me that the program hosts students from all over the world who want to study English. The students learn from teachers who are certified in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). I originally thought that students only came for a quarter or two to learn English, but Dr. Krzic told me that most students go through the English program and then go on to study in regular classes at Ohio University.

He explained that there are different levels of classes. Students take a test when they arrive so that they can be placed in the correct class level. I asked him if they had ever had any students who did not know any English upon arriving to the United States. He said that most of the students knew at least basic English. If a student did not know any English, OPIE would have to tutor the student individually, Dr. Krzic said.

Unfortunately, the classrooms are small and there already are a few people observing them this quarter so Dr. Krzic told me that I will not be able to observe a class. He said that too many people in the class would be disruptive. It is a little frustrating that I will not be able to sit in on a class because I think that it would be interesting for my blog, but I understand Dr. Krzic’s logic. I know from experience that learning a new language is difficult and it’s easy to be self-conscious and quiet around native speakers. I would not want to make the students feel uncomfortable.

Along with helping students in the classroom, OPIE sponsors programs for students to experience American culture. I met and briefly spoke with Ana Wolf, an advanced ESL instructor and the program’s cross cultural coordinator. She told me that the program offers activities like a bowling night, game night and a trip to the Statehouse and Easton Town Center in Columbus. She also told me that they have a discussion section each Wednesday. The students come and listen to a speaker, who is usually from the area. She told me that I was welcome to come to any of the discussion sections. I was glad to hear this because I want to observe the students in some type of classroom setting. After her initial invitation, I, like the obtrusive journalist I am, asked if I could invite myself to the bowling night. Ana said that it would be fine and gave me directions to the bowling alley.