11/03/2023
February 25th, 2023, Wikilinguo
We had talked about her experiences studying in US. She pointed out challenges she had faced into to three main points :
- Culture shock
- Schooling system
- Combining school and job
She confessed culture shock to be the very first challenge that requires a little bit of time to get accustomed to. From standing people use abusively slur words to letting the brain integrate a new type of language, you may find yourself totally overwhelmed and feel out of place.
Over there, the schooling system is completely different. For the Bachelor degree, for instance, you will be spending 4 years before graduating in opposition to the schooling system we have right here. This might feel weird and make it seem you’re falling behind when you see friends you’ve been to school with graduate way before you not because you’re less smart but because the educational system has changed.
Aditionally, you have the opportunity to work while studying. We’re talking part-time job here. This can be good to make some money but also means you have to sacrifice leisure time because by the time you finish at school and go to work, if there’s any day left for you in the week is used to rest.
To add on everything said above, your skin color is something you can’t hide. People will always see the difference, curious minds would try to understand things better, people with assumptions will stick to their assumptions. You can't fight that.
Tips that will help you survive in not-your-environment :
- Surround yourself with a community
- Get out of your comfort zone
- Learn from others and about their culture because the goal of traveling is to discover
« The best way to actually make sure you strongly believe in something is to go out there, look at how others do, the way they think, and see if you still have the believes. »