America at first sight was a drab, little potato farm. Immigrating from Korea to America was a monumental change; making new friends and adjusting to the new culture were some huge hardships, to (pun intended) speak nothing of the new, unfamiliar language. My first stop happened to be an isolated, rural town in Idaho - a whole new world for a girl from the hustle-and-bustle of Seoul to experience. The culture shock from skylines to potato vines was only a beginning. Through perseverance, I learned that the most important key in adjusting to a completely environment was to step out of my comfort zone in order to take risks and become more mature. The school in Idaho was a world of blond hair, deep blue eyes, and snow white skin-- except for
There are many challenges that one must face as we go through life. I have faced a few myself, however, none proved more challenging than moving from my country; Jamaica, to the United States and subsequently moving to the state of Wisconsin. Deciding to leave behind family and friends is the hardest decision to make, however, there are a few things that I was not prepared for that made the transition more challenging than expected. Moving away from all that is familiar culturally, socially and economically can be even more of a daunting task than imagined. There are things that are taught to us by our parents and others that are more dictated by our environment than anything else, so when I immigrated to the United States I had three major challenges to overcome.
A sudden change in one’s surroundings can result in culture shock. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. The majority of practices or customs are different from what a person is used to. One may experience withdrawal, homesickness, or a desire for old friends. For example, when a person goes to live in a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, they may experience culture shock. Sometimes it is the result of losing their identity. In the article “The Phases of Culture Shock”, Pamela J. Brink and Judith Saunders describe four phases of culture shock. They are: Honeymoon Phase, Disenchantment Phase, Beginning Resolution Phase, and Effective Function Phase. These phases denote some of the stages that exemplify culture shock. The four phases are illustrated in the articles “New Immigrants: Portraits in Passage” by Thomas Bentz, “Immigrant America: A Portrait” by Alejandro Portes and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “When I Was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories” by Thomas Kessner and Betty Boyd Caroli, and lastly, “The New Americans: Immigrant Life in Southern California” by Ulli Steltzer, and are about the experiences of some immigrants. This essay will examine the four phases of culture shock and classify the experiences of these immigrants by the different phases of culture shock identified.
I walked around unsteadily all day like a lost baby, far away from its pack. Surrounded by unfamiliar territory and uncomfortable weather, I tried to search for any signs of similarities with my previous country. I roamed around from place to place and moved along with the day, wanting to just get away and go back home. This was my first day in the United States of America.
Since I still wanted to make friends, I desperately continued to try to break down the barrier between my peers and I and I slowly began to succeed. As I began making more and more friends, my experience in the U.S. started to become a happier one. Although there were still many things about American culture that I did not understand, I chose to face my fears head on which lead to a more content life. I realized that no matter where you are from, what obstacles you had to face, or what social class you belong to, coming to America gives you an opportunity to build a new and better life for you and your family. The journey to learn this lesson was not an easy one, but I’m glad I learned it.
My heart was beating and my hands were sweating. My teacher asked me a question and I wanted to cry. I didn’t know how to say my response in English and was afraid of the other kids making fun of me because I thought my accent was too strong. All the students stared. “Just answer the question” one girl murmured. Every day I’d sit in the same seat without talking. And even though I had spent a month in the same classroom I felt uncomfortable being there. I moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic when I was twelve. I knew the word for “mariposa” was “butterfly,” and I knew how to introduce myself, but that was about all. Some people would even become frustrated due to the fact they couldn’t understand me, or the other way around. Knowing how they felt about me not being able to communicate made me want to shut myself off from them.
This article got me thinking. I had face situation in my life that because of my bad grammar I had let go of great opportunities. English is my second languish and I thought that as long as I knew the basic I would be ok in life. But as I got older I started seeing the pattern of negatives effects of my insecurity of grammar. My return to college open my eyes to a better potential in life just by continually a proper college education. When reading this article the wheels of my brain started spinning. The first image that pop in my head, was my children trying to mimic all the YouTubers online with their in style vocabulary. Then two little boys appear in my head, two little boys that I saw ones about 10 years ago for about 10mn. I have forgotten them, until
It is through the events in the journey of life that shapes and molds who we are as people. As for me, immigrating to America was one of those milestones that have shaped who I am. Those who have had the opportunity of moving from a different country to America know what a privilege it is. I felt the same honor to know that I would be journeying to the land of opportunity. Without hesitance, I spent the last two months packing and making the final preparations before moving to a new continent. Although it was a bittersweet time, leaving my beloved family behind, I knew that I couldn’t resist the treasure that waited for me in the new land. Coming from a developing nation the high level of sophistication that greeted me on arrival to America made feel like I was in paradise.
While working as a healer, I began picking up on the causes of my client's illness or injuries. I would know things that the client hadn't told me, And often times they themselves hadn't even considered. Once the information had been discussed with the client, the pain from the trauma would go completely away.
During afternoon recess in the second grade, I received my first major injury. The teacher on recess duty blew the whistle and signaled for the students to line up. Unfortunately for me, the merry-go-round I sat on spun indefatigably. I glanced over at the lines to see my classmates escorted inside. Nevertheless, I took a risk and lept off the merry-go-round (terrible mistake).
a bath. Then we watched a little more tv together and then my sister and me started packing a bag full of stuff we can do in the car on the way to Texas. When we finished we went to bed and it is like 9:00 at night. In the morning at 4:30 we woke up and we brush our teeth and got into some comfy close if we wanted to or we can stay in pajamas and my sister and me stayed in our pajamas and our dad and mom got into comfy clothes and we packed are car and got blankets and pillows and we got into the car and we left and it was about 5:00.
I was raised in rural wyoming where hunting was not only tradition, but a way of life. Since I could walk I had been accompanying my dad on all varieties of hunts. My father did all that was possible to pass on the knowledge and lessons needed for me to become a responsible hunter and man. However, there are some lessons that can only be learned through personal experience. They are often the ones of moral and ethical decisions. My sophomore year of high school I committed the hunting mistake most outstanding in my mind.
I can divide life into two parts: The part before I went to the temple and the part afterwards. I suppose everyone could do that. On September 19, 1998, I went to the temple for my own endowments. I read my journal entry from that time and it did not do justice to what I actually experienced at the temple. I went through so many emotions and had so many questions answered that I had kept to myself.
As a child, when I got upset my response used to cry and refuse to talk. Now a day as adult, I don't cry that often, but I have the patter of maintain salient, so I grow up keeping that behavior with me. The first time I suffered anxiety of separation was when I started school; I do remember those first day clearly. I cried very loud, I got frustrate, and I didn't want to come back to school. This first week was terrible for me, for my mother, and also for my teacher. Fortunately, my teacher was very professional and keep calm. My mother tried to talk to me, and explain that she had to leave, but she come back for me at noon. When I was a child I was not very good at making friend; even though I was a friendly girl, I had to deal with that
Excited. Nervous. Determined. Those three words perfectly describe how I was feeling my first day of college. The enrollment process was rigorous for me, but with the encouragement and support from my boyfriend, I was able to finish submitting the required paperwork by the school's deadline. After all of that was over with, I could finally begin a whole new chapter of my life that I had never visioned for myself. None of my family members have attended college, I was going to be the first one. This means, I was showing up for my first class completely mentally unprepared. I was unaware of what to expect for my first semester at Ocean County College.
While big events may create major changes in our plans for our future, little events define us as the people we will become. One of my earliest memory was as a five-year-old. I have been there many time, in my thoughts and dreams. In it, I was on the dirt drive of the church parsonage was evening.