Transformation involves the development of intercultural awareness including increased understanding of the host culture.

Developing skills to communicate in another language creates opportunities for developing relationships with people from other cultures which would not otherwise have been possible. This widening of social contacts provides insights into people from different cultures and an intercultural awareness as a result of learning and using English. A number of respondents commented that they had a greater understanding of “Western” culture through learning English with one also commenting that to learn English “we should know culture”(I 4)to have an

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that through learning the language of a country one also develops an understanding of the different “frame of thought” rendered by a language other than one‟s own which they described as involving the history, culture and thinking system of that culture. Through learning English the respondent could also understand some of the cultural elements involved in the language and therefore develop an understanding of the people who speak English as their first language. The respondent remarked that they had made an effort to “think according to frame of thought which English has” (I 4). Storti (2001) concurs, commenting that knowing the local language to some extent can “have a direct impact on preventing cultural incidents. Just by virtue of understanding what‟s being said around you, you can better understand cross-cultural encounters” (p. 98).

The differences between cultures were acknowledged but also a comprehension of the similarities between people beneath their linguistic and cultural differences was described by participants. Respondents observed that through the language learning process they had developed an awareness of the overall vulnerability of people; that “we are different, but we‟re all human, with the need to feel loved and appreciated, to have peace”(PW 13). There was also a development of empathy for other people who struggled with the language learning process or who struggled in their COS when called upon to communicate in English.

These realisations or observations seemed to create a willingness to form

relationships across cultures and an appreciation of the reciprocal nature that was possible in such relationships, while the potential for misunderstandings was acknowledged, as the following extracts illustrate:

Also, sometimes, I thought, they are similar to me; they just have a different language and different culture. I can make friends with them, and also they can be friends to me. (I 14)

Being able to communicate in that language has helped me into a number of deep relationships with people of other cultures whom I would not have met otherwise. I learned to take the risk of being misunderstood and misjudged and I learned to laugh about myself. (PW 8)

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The transformation that the respondents described in their intercultural understanding is congruous with the findings of King (2000) who observes the following:

All the accounts that were of a cultural theme were tied to preconceived ideas and beliefs about cultures; the learners had to face a disparity in their belief system, evaluate the difference, and make a decision to accept a new

perspective. These are very vivid, classic examples of the kind of perspective transformations adult ESL learners‟ experience. (p. 77)

It is of significance that although the term culture shock was mentioned specifically only twice and commented upon only briefly by two respondents in the study, the experiences described and discussed in this theme could indicate experiences of culture shock (the initial response to the new culture) and adjustment (the process of modifying behaviour and attitude to the new culture) as circumscribed by Sussman (2000) earlier in section 2.4. These areas of transformation discussed in this theme also reflect the development of elements of intercultural identity as suggested by Fenimore (1997) described earlier in section 2.4, specifically the acceptance of original and new cultural elements; increased self knowledge and inner resilience; and increased resourcefulness to deal with new challenges.

As described earlier, this study sits where there are commonalities in the literature from the discourses of adult learning, specifically transformative learning; cultural studies, specifically cultural shock and adjustment; and adult second language acquisition/learning. This can be clearly seen in the theme of transformation

described in this section as the theme of transformation is commonly acknowledged in all the discourses named. Is the transformation described by participants the development of intercultural identity, or transformation due to transformational learning experiences or due to second language learning? The attempt to delineate and affix one label is perhaps, pointless. The transformation described by the participants and discussed in this section is possibly occurring in the process of meaning making or individuation through learning and using English as an adult in another country.

In addition to engendering transformation on an inner personal level, learning and using English can bring about changes in the relationships of the language learner and speaker with others. This aspect will be addressed in the section that follows.

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144 7.2 Theme Two: Studying and Using English Necessitates Negotiating Changes in Relationships

People dwell in families. While who or what constitutes a family may be determined to a great extent by culture or individual family interpretation, any decision to move to another country affects both immediate family members and the extended family. Members of families have roles and responsibilities within their immediate and wider family circles and moving to another country for any purpose has an impact on family members remaining in their home countries; grandparents, parents, in-laws, siblings and older independent children, as well as on those family members accompanying the learner overseas, such as spouses and dependent children. The affects observed include the concerns of family members before family members remaining in their home counties, maintaining relationships while in another country learning English, and for some, dealing with changes in relationships upon their return to their home country. For those studying, issues encountered include seeking family support for the move, dealing with separation from family and friends,

adjusting to role and relationship changes upon returning to study. These follow a temporal order related to the changing contexts encountered, reflected in the following subthemes which cover obtaining endorsement from the wider family; encountering and dealing with separation issues; negotiating changes in family roles and responsibilities; through to determining the role of English within the family.

7.2.1 Obtaining endorsement from the wider family to study overseas is