Learning Journal #5 (105)

[Jeffrey Choi]

The Culture Shock video explained experiences that were in ways similar to my own when I came to University of Richmond. The feelings of awe and excitement when first arriving in a novel place and then the feeling of uncomfortableness of the surrounding culture that consumes those experiencing culture shock were very relatable. Even though I am just from the west coast Richmond, Virginia, felt like a whole other country. The first shock was the difference in my surroundings such as the landscapes. I then noticed the more in depth differences such as the diversity of people, especially on our campus. California has a far more diverse population and the high school I attended had an almost equal percentage of all races. I lived most of my whole life surrounded by Asian people and it was easy to stay within that bubble like community. So when I came here, I was completely out of my comfort zone. I also noticed subtle difference in the way people talked here. However, as one of the people in the video stated, these feelings did not represent my overall experience here. As a I found my group of friends and became more appreciative of the school and the city in general, my experience here has been great and I am more than happy to be attending University of Richmond.