Young Researchers Organization Blog
A platform for physicists to share insights, ideas, and experiences.
by Lucas Garrido Ah, white Christmas - a time for joy, laughter, and the inevitable barrage of questions from family members as you try to get the food in your mouth. How to reply properly, without boring or overwhelming those who crave answers? If you're worried about surviving a family dinner with endless questions and feel the pressure of being in the spotlight, you've come to the right place. Here's a quick guide on how to survive a holiday feast (based on my experience). Facing the unavoidable Be prepared. Relatives are often proud, curious, and perplexed to have a scientist in the family. And they won't waste an opportunity like this to bombard you with question after question. After the classical "Have you got a partner yet?", science starts. So what exactly do you do? The easiest answer is to give the title of your thesis or your research line. Don't do that. No one is going to understand that technical jargon. Instead, try to explain it in simple terms, like "I study how stars explode and create the elements that make up everything, including you, me, and Aunt Angela's turkey". At this point, if the others have yet to get up and leave, the conversation will flow on its own by answering their questions, as they want to know more about your field. Remember to keep it simple but engaging, grandma and little cousin also want to learn. Cool, but do aliens exist? It may be a joke question, but I like to flip it around and start a discussion. It's a great chance to explain how big the universe is and to think about the probability of not being alone in the cosmos. Isn't it great to turn a joke into a philosophical reflection that leaves everyone's jaws dropping? Can you fix my phone? No. But have you tried turning it off and on again? Controversial questions At some point, polemic questions may arise. Whether it is about global warming, nuclear power, or other hot-button topics, expect lively debates. These discussions can be tricky, especially when you’re surrounded by relatives with strong opinions. But don’t panic! This is your chance to steer the conversation in a productive direction. This is how I deal with this: Stay calm and respectful I know it's as easy to say as to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Responding calmly will reduce the chances of the dinner ending with a pile of broken dishes and barricade-like tables. Remember, the goal is not to “win” the argument but to share knowledge so that others can form their own opinion. Be prepared for misinformation Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to encounter relatives who believe in conspiracy theories. In my case, it’s the “there’s no such thing as climate change” brother-in-law. Then, you can refer to the overall scientific agreement and explain how it is measured, citing data or events to which it can be related, such as extreme weather patterns. Know when to give up Sometimes people do not listen to any arguments other than their own and the debate may get too heated. If you feel that the conversation is starting to get into a loop, it’s perfectly fine to step away or change the subject. Don’t be afraid to say “I don't think we'll ever be able to agree”. Guess we'll talk about football now. Embrace the science lover There's always that one cousin or niece who is genuinely interested in scientific news. If you don't like being in the limelight, retreat to a corner and enjoy solo conversations and discussions with them. Share your knowledge and passion and, who knows, you may end up inspiring a future scientist! Source: AI-generated The Escape Plan If you feel overwhelmed or have been talking about work too much, it may be time to slip away. You can start with a quick trip to the restroom and stop in the kitchen on your way back. I like to help with food or refill dishes and drinks to disconnect and make some time. If you are fed up with science, bring some gossip back to the table. They love it! Conclusion Sometimes, questions don’t make sense or don’t relate at all to what we do. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”. At the end of the day, we are human. Ordinary people. We are much more than our job and, while I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved professionally, I don’t want to be defined by just that. I have a lot more to offer in other aspects! After all, surviving a holiday dinner is all about balancing the scientific with the social, the complex with the simple. If you think about it, it is the same kind of balance we carry out in our daily lives as researchers, so we have been training for this for years! My final thought is that, in some way, family is just like our universe: varied, full of stars, each one shining in its own way. Even when we find ourselves surrounded by darkness, they are all a source of light and warmth during these cold holidays. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Source: AI-generated
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by David Godos Valencia If you are reading this post then you might be working in a foreign laboratory, or perhaps you are in your own country but have problems finding your place among your new international colleagues, or maybe you just find this topic interesting. In any case, you are welcome to this space where I will try to shed some light on this topic by sharing my experiences on different occasions of working with people from around the world! Nowadays, science has benefited from new communication technologies, which allow faster and farther connections, and it is more common to be part of international collaborations of any size. Also, it is easier to travel around the world for research stays with your collaborators, thanks to initiatives like IReNA, that promote exchange of knowledge and skills. Without any distinction, theoreticians and experimental scientists/students could find themselves moving to new countries for their jobs. It could be for a short time, due to a workshop or conference, or for longer due to a postdoc or a permanent position at a laboratory/university. Unavoidably, during these trips, academics will interact with people from different backgrounds who are also at different stages of their careers. In that case, wouldn’t it be a great idea to take the initiative to understand the kind of issues that might arise during these interactions and how to mitigate them in order to create a healthy work environment for everyone? Thanks to my trajectory, I have been fortunate to team up with people from Latin America, Europe, and the US at different times while visiting other countries like Romania, Spain, France, Italy, and Colombia. Sometimes you will be lucky to be in a very similar culture to the one you are from, but more often than not you will end up in a completely different society. You could still feel quite lost with even slight differences from what you are used to. In my opinion, two of the main problems that arise when working with people from different backgrounds are miscommunication problems and cultural shocks. The latter, according to C. Ward (1998), is described as an occupational disease and it is related to fear, anxiety, anger, and feelings of helplessness by people who suddenly find themselves living abroad [1]. Both phenomena, I think, have the same origin: the other person's reaction or interpretation of what we have said/done does not match our expectations or intentions. On one hand, it is easy to misunderstand other people even in our native language; let alone when two people from different states or even countries try to communicate with each other. This miscommunication could be due to the different accents, different usages of some words, and different ways of expressing themselves. As an example, there have been many times when talking with a foreign teammate, where at the end of the conversation we realized we were talking about completely different topics. In my experience, the best way to resolve such misunderstandings is to go all the way back to the beginning of the conversation and repeat, using more simple words, what you want to express. In that way, you can track your way in the conversation to the point where both of you agree on the meaning and move forward to the part that created the disconnect. As a result, you will build, little by little, a common context that will help avoid future misunderstandings. Cultural shocks are commonly encountered when visiting or living in a different country, even if their cultural differences are minimal. During my first trip to Spain, despite Spanish being my native language, I was somehow confused by the usage of the language there. While in Spain they are used to direct speech, which at first seemed rude to me, in Mexico we are not so straightforward. It took me a while to distinguish between when a person was really angry from their usual mood while socializing. I guess that it is hard to realize that the things that we take for granted in our homes are not commonly found in other places. Cultural adaptation may have different stages, which vary according to the demographic of the one experiencing it. Let me give you an example: you may have heard about the U-curve of cultural adjustment that says the adaptation process is composed of 4 phases: the honeymoon, the culture shock, the recovery, and the adjustment [2]. But, according to a study by C. Dailey-Strand (2021) [3], the process is more like a J-curve for foreign students, who do not experience the honeymoon stage, but rather face the cultural challenges first (see Figure 1). However, early social activities seeking integration into the host culture at the beginning of the stay are quite helpful in overcoming this first stage. So, if your team has gained a new member, a little guidance and understanding could make a huge difference in their experience. In case you are the new member, you should avoid isolation and try to look for social events where you can meet other international students at first. Furthermore, do not be afraid to try new activities or get deeper into the host society which will help you to know more people. The good news for you is that, after each time, it becomes a little bit easier to integrate into a new culture. Figure 1.- Comparison of the top) U-curve and bottom) J-curve of cultural adjustment. Images adapted from [2,3]. To summarize, you will face multiple challenges within your multicultural team mainly related to miscommunication and lack of a sense of belonging. While facing communication misunderstandings, a good way to resolve this problem is to create a common context within the team. As your time working as a group increases, your context will grow, and miscommunication will decrease over time. While dealing with cultural shocks can be difficult, you will benefit from being open-minded and trying new things. And although it is difficult to preserve your cultural identity in a new place, it should not stop you from trying new things and adopting local traditions from people you meet in your new life. This will enrich your point of view and expand your horizons.
I hope reading about these brief experiences will help you when working abroad or when a new member joins your work team! If you have experiences of your own where you have faced similar problems, and you want to share them, I would like to hear from you. References [1] C. Ward, Y. Okura, A. Kennedy, and T. Kojima, Int. J. Intercultural Rel. 22 No 3, pages 277-291 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(98)00008-X [2] B. Alamri, ELT 11 No 12 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n12p77 [3] C. Dailey-Strand, H. Collins, and D. Callaghan, JCIHE 13 Issue 4, pages 73-84 (2021). http://www.doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v13i4.3267 |
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