Undergraduate /
"My journey in America as a Self-proclaimed Gypsy" - BU - about Culture Shock? [3]
Sounds quite awesome so far! Just a few things I would edit about it:
Most of these voyages were vacations, and they only lasted a couple of days, but we would
dohave so many tours every year that it felt like we spent more time in other places rather than our home.
But There was one particular experience that left a
big--Just seems unnecessary, but could be left in :) imprint on me. The one that changed my outlook on life forever.
Brace yourself, this is a tale that has yet to be told.--Feels more natural if left out.So we said goodbye to our familiar home that filled with memories and head for a new adventure
, this time actually--Could be replaced with a dash living in a foreign country.
We left without a trace of doubt in our minds whether we would be able to handle it or not. We left without a doubt in our minds that we could handle it. After all, we've
travelled traveled to different places multiple times already!
Hollywood's movie magic truly did a great job at portraying this place as the ultimate paradise, with those twinkly skyscrapers and incredibly beautiful human beings who seemed to float
(as opposed to walk). instead of walk. No one
from the outside of the United States would have thought that this magical land would have a dark side.
But the thought of actually standing on the land
of in the United States really blew my mind.
Then reality hit us like a slap on the face -
quick and impactful.a quick impact. The
barrier between the languageslanguage barrierand customs sunk in like
a Titanic was dropping down on us .
reliving history on the Titanic.Being in a big city, everybody seemed to be
veryoverly cautious. They always seemed to put themselves first
before others . On the outside, they appeared
as these super niceto be kind people who would pour their hearts out to help another person, but little did we know that most of those flowery words were all lies. They would make promises to us, but when we needed them the most, they pretended
like they didn't know what we were talking about. Most of the people we met also possessed
this ability that can help themthe ability to transform into a
totally different person in a second. They could be extremely sweet to you, but if you somehow made them angry, they can turn into these viciously catty people and could turn their backs on you
almost instantaneously .
instantly. Of course they were some
genuinelynicegenuine people, but finding them was like searching for a real diamond in a cubic zirconium lab. My family and I were born and raised in an environment where people were very straightforward in what they liked
or did not likeand disliked, and if they were to help a person in need, they would rather do it with actions
instead ofthan words. Disappointed with the people that we met, we realized that we were not ready for this change and decided to move back to Vietnam. We
continued flyingflew back and forth from the United States
andto Vietnam for three years.
By the time I was in middle school, my mother decided that my little brother and I needed
a better education, so we moved back to California. This time I realized another difference
ofin customs between these two countries.
The kids neglected their school
work, and some of them could not even read a book without tripping over words like "complicated". My mother realized that this was not the proper environment for our
education. So after a year of
constant battlebattling for survival, we decided to move to Ohio.
This was like a breath of fresh air to us, after living in big cities all
ofour lives. The people were generally
nicerkinder, and much friendlier. People said
hihello--sounds more professional, but either could work. to strangers on the streets, which was a very big shock to us. I started my high school
career herelife over again, and although the teenagers here still remained American teenagers
(this was America after all) , most of them truly cared for their
education. Most of the people that I knew in school worked hard, and they were some of the most ambitious people I had
ever met in my life.
Now that I have experienced culture shock, I realize that although a country might seem perfect on the outside, there
wasis bound to be a down side to it. Every place has its own customs and people. I was now aware that the world was a big place, bigger than
what I had imagined when I was little. I have become stronger
through thisafter exposure
ofto a different culture.
Except this time, I will be
the one travelling traveling alone. No matter where my final destination is, I will
always remember this
memorable experience for the rest of my life.
Thanks for the response on my essay as well! You did great :)
