What should we do when we are confronted with other cultures?
This question fits me...living in Korea, or overseas for that matter, for the first time has taken some major getting used to. I was definitely confronted with an unfamiliar culture! I remember the shock upon arrival at the Inchon Airport. After enduring 17 hours of no leg room, weird food, movies, suitcases, Koreans, loud noises, and small bathrooms, I just couldn’t get myself to believe that I was actually in a different country. Yes, the people, place, food, sounds, and smells were all vastly different, but it still didn’t seem real. I didn’t know h
ow to react or how to respond. I wasn’t able to communicate with or understand anyone. But it wasn’t all bad culture shock…I was beyond fascinated and my gaping mouth didn’t so much as help me to disguise that! I have never lived in a big city, ever. The amount of people lining the streets was amazing to me and the “never-ending” apartment buildings. For the first twelve years of my life, I grew up in a town of only four-hundred! At twelve, I thought moving to a city of forty-thousand was huge. Still I have experienced another jump; living in a city of over a million is…just wow! One thing I wish I understood better was the language. I enjoy communicating with people and I find quite difficult to fulfill that enjoyment here! Being confronted with a different culture has been hard; it actually seems harder now than it did when I first moved here. Suddenly changing population size, food style, language, climate, location, is not easy on the mind. I realize that I am in a different culture now, and to the best of my ability try to live and learn within it. Korea is different from my previous homes, but I have found pleasure in learning a new culture. When we are confronted with cultures unfamiliar to us, we need to learn. Learn the language, the respectful manners, the area, and the people. We have to be accepting and be willing to be told what we are doing wrong. But at the same time, like in the Sawi’s case, we can bring a message of truth and a life of happiness to a culture hidden to the world for many years. We can bring hope and healing to the hearts of others.
This question fits me...living in Korea, or overseas for that matter, for the first time has taken some major getting used to. I was definitely confronted with an unfamiliar culture! I remember the shock upon arrival at the Inchon Airport. After enduring 17 hours of no leg room, weird food, movies, suitcases, Koreans, loud noises, and small bathrooms, I just couldn’t get myself to believe that I was actually in a different country. Yes, the people, place, food, sounds, and smells were all vastly different, but it still didn’t seem real. I didn’t know h
ow to react or how to respond. I wasn’t able to communicate with or understand anyone. But it wasn’t all bad culture shock…I was beyond fascinated and my gaping mouth didn’t so much as help me to disguise that! I have never lived in a big city, ever. The amount of people lining the streets was amazing to me and the “never-ending” apartment buildings. For the first twelve years of my life, I grew up in a town of only four-hundred! At twelve, I thought moving to a city of forty-thousand was huge. Still I have experienced another jump; living in a city of over a million is…just wow! One thing I wish I understood better was the language. I enjoy communicating with people and I find quite difficult to fulfill that enjoyment here! Being confronted with a different culture has been hard; it actually seems harder now than it did when I first moved here. Suddenly changing population size, food style, language, climate, location, is not easy on the mind. I realize that I am in a different culture now, and to the best of my ability try to live and learn within it. Korea is different from my previous homes, but I have found pleasure in learning a new culture. When we are confronted with cultures unfamiliar to us, we need to learn. Learn the language, the respectful manners, the area, and the people. We have to be accepting and be willing to be told what we are doing wrong. But at the same time, like in the Sawi’s case, we can bring a message of truth and a life of happiness to a culture hidden to the world for many years. We can bring hope and healing to the hearts of others. 
1 comment:
Brittney:
Oh my. Only four hundred people? That's less than how many students go to this school! I can't imagine living in a town that small. I think it's really cool how you seem to be adapting really fast to Korea. I remember when I first moved to Korea I didn't want to go with how the Korean culture was (and I know that sounds weird coming from a Korean, but there were so many things that were different that I didn't want to accept the Korean way of doing things). Good luck with continuing to to adapt to Korea. :)
- Inhye -
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