As social actors in the intercultural arena, language learners are constantly engaged in an open performance of a rather personal act – the construction of the self. Self-construction in the foreign society is, in fact, a carefully orchestrated spectacle. As in any performance, the actor plays to an audience. The spectators express mixed reactions – some playing the critic, displaying frowns, laughter, and, at times, outright insults, while others act as the undying fans, proud of the actor and ready to support all offerings. The actor looks to the audience as a measure of his or her performance, hoping to understand through critics and fans the picture he or she is publicly presenting. Yet the greatest critic is the individual performer, who observes himself or herself from all angles and ultimately decides whether the performance has been a success. Was the self created and portrayed the desired one, or was the individual perceived by the audience to be one of lesser quality?