SDLC 105 Journal #6 - Reflection on Culture Shock, etc.

[Rachel Poplack]

Culture Shock was a great video and I really enjoyed watching it. There were so many things that came up in the video that I have never even considered. One of the things that really stuck with me was how Americans say "hi, how are you?" but do not really care about the response. I think this is so typical of Americans - in more ways that one! First of all, we are truly always in a rush. Things in the US are just so fast paced. We run by the clock and we think that punctuality is the most important thing in the world. I for sure subscribe to this - I am never late, and I hate when other people are. But at the same time, being nice and kind and having great relationships with people is really important to me, and I would never want anyone to think that I don't care about their response to my question. According to Culture Shock, however, I do that all the time! That is just insane. I didn't think about that. I also didn't really think about the period of time that it takes international students to adjust to life here in the US. When I think about my trips overseas, I have never had a hard time adjusting because I haven't tried to. Since I have just been traveling, and not preparing to live for a period of time, I have not been setting up my life for a period of time and I had no culture to which I needed to adjust. I think it's fascinating that I just took this period of adjustment for granted for these international students. Watching this video made me much more aware of what many of these students enter into/leave behind when they come to America to study, and I will try to be more aware of how their practices might differ from mine (i.e. not raising their hands as much in class).