The "Culture Shock" video offered an informative perspective from international / exchange students here at the University of Richmond. Some of my closest friends here are international students; however, a topic such as culture shock does not often arise in our conversations.
When I first met most of my international friends, in the beginning of my first semester here, I never considered their transition to life in America. I might ask something like, "How do you like America, so far?," but I did not really take into account how much their lives have probably changed in those first few weeks. I assumed that since many of them spoke English or went to English-speaking school that they were at least exposed to American culture, in some form.
From watching "Culture Shock" to my experiences with the international students, I do not think most UR students--myself included--ever take the time to realize how much harder being in Richmond can be for them. I believe most of us tend to assume that the international students do not want to interact with the Americans on campus, but it seems apparent through my experiences, and even more so through "Culture Shock," that the only people on campus that can truly understand the transitional period and issues of international students are other international students. In my opinion, I think it would be beneficial for the university to develop some type of program / orientation to not only allow the international students to adjust, but also the American students to adjust to being in classrooms and interacting with those of other cultures.
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