Embracing New Cultures

When in a foreign land, you sometimes have to really step outside of yourself, take in the world around you, and figure out whether or not you’ll choose to accept it or be stuck in your own ways of living. Me, I would say that I have acknowledged the new culture in which I am living in, but I’m not sure if I would say I have completely adopted it yet. I am trying to step out of myself and be open-minded to a new culture, but I have to be quite honest when I say that it is quite a journey.

The Chinese culture can be very different than my own, has been challenging. Since I do not understand the language, nor the common behaviors of the people I have been surrounded by, I get either amused or frustrated by what I usually encounter. For example, this past weekend we went to Yuyuan Gardens, a fantastic place with a huge market,gorgeous garden and house that is over 500 years old. We were with our tour guide, John, and he was bent down on the ground writing an address for a few of the students in my group. Many locals would walk by, stop, and literally put their head in the middle of the circle we had formed around him to read what John was writing and then would walk off. It got to a point where I had gotten so frustrated that I just blocked anyone who would walk over. By instinct, I was frustrated at this invasion of privacy. However, as I have gotten to understand this new culture, I have learned that personal space and privacy are regarded differently in China.

I decided that to understand and respect the culture I am living in, I must make an effort to learn it. After some research, I found that Chinese culture is very high-context. They are a culture in which in-grouping happens a lot and if you aren’t a part of their in-group, which usually is just exclusive to those who are Chinese, you will stand out. This is why people on the street always seem to be in awe of me, sometimes staring or taking pictures. They aren’t trying to be rude or invade my privacy, but are adjusting to someone outside of their in-group.

Additionally, I have taken it to mean that Chinese culture is inclusive and that any signs of difference kind of alerts them. I feel as if when they see difference that they want to understand it so much that they have no other way of doing so other than sneaking a photo, stepping too close to the person in front of them in line, darting up the steps, and almost knocking each other over, staring a bit too much, or just simply seeming to be so unwilling to accept anything “new”.

I am currently going on my third week here, and while I like it a lot, I still feel as if I have so much to learn about the Chinese culture. Interestingly enough, while learning about them, I am learning a lot more about myself.

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