Changing Culture

What are the significant events in your life? Everybody may have different answers, such as engagement, graduation, a child’s birth, immigration or interview. For me, immigration is one of the most significant events in my life. America is a melting pot and has attracted many people to immigrate here. Two yeas ago, I arrived in America after almost a twenty-eight hour flight. When I stepped into the airport in Chicago, there were a lot of people with different color skin. From that time, my culture inevitably began its changing process.

After several months of living in Chicago, I found that making friends was really different than in China. When I wander the streets, there are many hospitable people forwardly saying hello to or smiling at me. I soon got used to doing that and began greeting the pedestrian instead of using my serious street face that I have in China. Compared with the warm greeting in the street,

dropping in a neighbor or friends’ house in America is not common without a prior phone call. Visiting a family with no appointment can be thought of as a rude behavior in America. In china, I might often drop in to my neighbor after dinner and have a talk just to kill time. Therefore, I hadn’t felt lonely in China.

Food culture is another aspect that I have had to change. American food markets are so big that there are all kinds food including prepared and processed foods on the shelves. People in China seldom buy prepared and processed foods and prefer to cook fresh meat and vegetables by themselves. This may be a reason that Chinese restaurants are so popular in America. In

American markets, vegetables are expensive and meats are cheap. On the contrary, in China, meat is expensive and vegetables are cheap. To save money, I eat more meat than vegetables since I am in America. Besides, soymilk and dim sum were my favorite breakfast when I was in China, but now I have to eat bread and drink milk instead.

After taking courses in Harold Washington College, I have found that I have to change my class culture as well. The American teaching methods are really fresh for me. We normally introduce each other in the first class. Intercommunion and asking questions are more common in American classes. “Any question?” is a pet phrase of the American teacher. In China, teachers often speak fluently and endlessly for the whole class, and students are busy in taking notes. Since there are too manystudents in the classroom, they can’t talk to each other too much. So that, In American college, I gradually need to speak more and not keep silent. American teachers use more technology in teaching than Chinese teacher does. For example, American teachers often show electronic books and notes to students in class by an overhead projector.

Having to change culture has been regretful for me. Giving up my accustomed behaviors to accept new behaviors is a hard and an evitable process for my new life in America. There are so many people from different countries. Therefore, it is necessary for new immigrants to adjust their original cultures to adapt to each other. I also hope I can adapt my new life to this country as soon as possible.