The example story you are first going to look at in this activity has been highlighted in different colours to show:
Own feelings: How the writer felt at the time of the encounter
Other people's feelings: How the writer interprets the feelings of the other person in the encounter Behaviour: What the writer did (or did not do) at the time of the encounter
Learning: What the writer learned from the encounter; what new things s/he would like to learn and do as a result of the encounter
Note: Not all the encounters are between people of different nationalities. This point is central to the AIE's understanding of 'intercultural encounter', which you will explore in Module 3.
Reflect
Some of the writers of these stories reflect on their own behaviour during the encounters. They may feel that the way they acted was appropriate or they may wish they had behaved differently. Can you think of an intercultural encounter in which you feel unhappy with your response to the situation? If you could live the encounter again, what would you do differently?