The article on Sociocultural Factors was incredibly insightful. There were several aspects of culture shock that I had never heard of before - particularly anomie. The term was new for most of us in the class, but we identified the term in context of our own experiences as second-language learners. The concept of feeling alienated because of the identity crisis that is stirred through being between two cultures and becoming familiar with one while distancing from the other is a very complex emotion. It was interesting, especially because I have friends who are mixed race and have described a similar feeling for their experiences. In fact, my friend who is half Japanese and half White has said that in Japan, she is perceived to be extremely American, but in America, she is undoubtedly not white. This seems to be indicative of the dichotomy between the two identities.
I hope that when I go to an Asian country when studying abroad, I will be able to minimize the anomie that I experience. Although it is a part of assimilating into a new culture, I think it is more effective to fully embrace the culture and I will make an effort to do that. For example, I can be a picky eater, but when I went to Italy, my brother told me "When in Rome..." and I understood that I should experience the country as a native does in order to fully understand and appreciate my trip. I will try to do that when I go abroad eventually.
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