When I was in Nepal, I was a very confident, strong and independent girl. I had a big family and a lot of friends, so that is why I never had to figure out anything on my own. Therefore, so far, I have lived a happy and problem-free life. Transitioning to college was the biggest turning point of my life. I am traversing homesickness, culture shock, changes in routine, lack of social support and a lot more. I have learned a lot about myself over the past four weeks. As I am moving forward in life, I have started to realize that I am not the same person I used to be anymore. Firstly, I am not as strong as I used to be. I always thought that I could survive easily on my own, but I was wrong. Secondly, my parents have always supported me in every step of my life and they always will.
Through discussions with my cultural partner, I discerned that culture has a great effect on an individual’s life. Here in the United States, people don’t feel that they are in a culture. So, that is the reason they don’t have a lot of stereotypes as compared to Nepal. However, in Nepal, we have social pressure to participate in the culture. We have rules and regulations which we must follow very strictly.
If we don’t follow these rules and regulations, we are shunned. Here the culture system is flexible, and nobody is forced to do what they are not willing to do. For instance, in my country, we are not allowed to live with our partner before marriage but in the States, it is very normal. Besides, in some parts of Nepal, women are even described as lower caste and are deprived of freedom and independence.
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Discussing cultural similarities and differences with my cultural partner helped me realize how culture influences one’s way of thinking. People’s view of a certain thing reflects the culture they grew up in and play a large part in how they see the world. In my case, I and my family value tradition more because it is a big part of the culture whereas my cultural partner does not hold as strongly to traditions since he grew up in the US. However, we also have some things in common. Both Nepal and the US have the problem of discrimination. In Nepal, it is mostly based on caste, religion, language, color, region, sexual orientation, towards a victim of rape and so on. In the US, the discrimination is primarily because of the color.
In my culture, religion plays a major role in the life of people. Worshipping God and praying is something that is of great significance in my culture. On the contrary, here I rarely see people going to the church or doing prayers. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is known as the city of temples. Visiting temples and worshipping gods for us is an essential part of our life.
People believe that whatsoever happens in our life, good or bad, God is responsible for everything. God or will judge all people on what they have done, and say they have been punished by God or the spiritual force they believe in. Therefore, it is very important to serve and please him. However, I feel that even Americans believe in the existence of God, but they don’t particularly do anything to please the gods.
Perspective-taking is being able to look at things from a point of view that is different than ours. It helps us create an understanding about the other person’s opinion and culture. Often in life, people think that there is only one way of looking at things. But people have different perspectives and viewpoints. And it does not mean that anyone is better than the other. So, instead of trying to convince them of something else, we should respect their viewpoint and accept the fact that there are multiple ways to do a certain task.
Furthermore, it is very important to respect new and different perspectives for global awareness. Most jobs, at some point in time, will require you to visit another country or least interact with people from a different background. So, during that time being able to communicate properly and respecting their perspective will help you put forward a good impression and also your viewpoints will be respected too.
