One should never underestimate the impact of intercultural dialogue in the life as soon as one is in contact with people from foreign countries. Even travelling abroad irregularly reveals some cultural differences. In AEGEE (and other international organisations) we are going further.
I have been AEGEE member for six years and I have learnt something new every year. In fact, I kept learning every day, in my subconscious checking, crossing and changing my opinion about different cultures, mentalities and way of working.
Signs in different languages
And I changed my opinion again…
Just to give you an example. In my first Summer University I learnt that Spaniards are crazy party animals, who will always spare a glass of sangria for you. In my next events I noticed that it is not possible to leave at 10am if you tell Spaniards that the departure is at 10am sharp. You should tell that it is at 9am. I also realised that they do not want to be late by intention, but the different understanding of time and the necessity of being on time is the main reason. Later on, I understood that they are also people who want to solve all conflicts and make all involved sides satisfied, although the same goes also for other Southern countries. I changed my perception and thoughts about them (and all other European countries) several times and I still keep doing it.
Learning all my life
Although there are other ways of learning about intercultural dialogue (books, Erasmus exchange programmes, voluntary work or living abroad, travelling abroad as a tourist, CouchSurfing and so on), I think that only AEGEE gives you the luxury not only to understand and build your own opinion about different European cultures, but also change it.
For example, on Erasmus you can get an idea about people from different countries, go back home and tell everybody for next five years that “Germans like order, Italians love to flirt and Scandinavians are very cold people,” but there is no possibility to meet people from the same country again and again, changing your perception as you (and they) grow and develop.
And that is one of the main reasons to love and be involved in AEGEE for a longer period – so you can see that nothing is white or black and that after some time your first impression about countries and their people will change again and again.
Written by Anita Kalmane, AEGEE-Ogre