Reflections
Initial Reaction to your new environment
Tell us about your first impressions...
Please take a moment to reflect on your first impressions upon arriving at Dominican
- What was the first thing that delighted you?
- What is something that seemed really strange to you?
- How did your first few days live up to your expectations or not?
- What was the first thing you missed from home?
Let's Sum this up! What are the takeaways?
What?
What happened?
What did you observe?
What did you learn?
What did you do?
What did you expect?
What was different?
What was your reaction?
So What?
Why does it matter?
What are the consequences and meanings of your experiences?
How do your experiences link to your academic, professional and/or personal development?
What impacts the way you view the situation/experience? (What lens are you viewing from?)
What did you like/dislike about the experience? What did you learn about the people/community?
What are some of the pressing needs/issues in the community? How does this project address those needs? What about your community involvement has been an eye opening experience?
How did the experience relate to your coursework?
Has your view of the population with whom you have been working changed? How?
How has the environment and social conditions affected the people at your site?
Has the experience affected the way you view the world?
Did anything about your community involvement surprise you? If so, what?
How does your understanding of the community change as a result of your participation in this project?
Talk about any disappointments or successes of your project. What did you learn from it?
What sorts of things make you feel uncomfortable in your host culture? Why?
Now What?
What are you going to do as a result of your experiences?
What will you do differently?
How will you apply what you have learned?
What seem to be the root causes of the issue addressed? What other work is currently happening to address the issue?
What learning occurred for you in this experience? How can you apply this learning?
What would you like to learn more about, related to this project or issue? What follow-up is needed to address any challenges or difficulties?
What information can you share with your peers or the community?
If you could do the project again, what would you do differently?
Have your career options been expanded by your service experience?
How can you continue your involvement with this group or social issue?
How can you educate others or raise awareness about this group or social issue?
During your community work experience, have you dealt with being an "outsider" at your site? How does being an "outsider" differ from being an "insider"?