I think the University of Richmond is challenging as a native English speaker and so it is three times as challenging when you have to speak, write, and listen in a foreign language. One of the challenges they mentioned was having to write essays here at the university. Most Americans are accustomed to writing analytical or argumentative papers while in other countries it is more typical to summarize the authors point. I think it would be really difficult to attempt to write an analytical paper if you've never written one before.
The video also talked about how international students often clump together because they are able to sympathize with one another. They understand how each other are feeling and the little cultural American customs that are strange or annoying they can complain about together.
The Culture Shock video made me feel a little bit bad because I feel like I haven't always taken opportunities to get to know the international students or to help them out. After watching the video I feel I can't even imagine all of the changes and challenges they are facing as they are miles away from their families. I was able to relate somewhat because of the experiences I had studying abroad in Spain and the culture shock I had there. While Spain and the US are not that different and it was only four months, there were a couple of cultural things like when people ate meals, how people showed affection for one another, and how people addressed time that stood out while I was there.
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