ESL21B

ESSAY1.2

07/03/07

TOPIC: #1

Different Culture I Experience

There are many chances that people need to share their own particular culture with others. To share culture means to share values and assumptions with the people who did not grewVForm up in the same place as yours. AccountingSpl to Gary Althen, in the article "American Value and Assumptions," values asWChoice ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, and so on. America, where I come for studyAwkward, has a different culture from chinaCapitalization, whichWChoice I was raised. After I have come America, I have spent a lot of time to overcome the obstacles that are created by different culture, and most of them are different value about individualism, privacy and future

First of all, individualism is one of the important differences between America and china. American has a strong feeling that they are individual. Although they are a member of family, religious group, or any other collectivity, they are not depend on each other. In the article "American values and assumptions," Gary Alther states a story that a child who was to young to have his own money to spend and let alone to decide how to spend it. For the parents of American, they can usually totally understand the mother of this boy who was helping her son ready to responsible for his choices and their consequences. But for the parents of Chinese, they will not let their children to decide anything when they are young. Some also make all the decisions for them until their children have grown up and become adults because they always think their children are not mature enough to decide things. Therefore, Chinese parents always protecting their children and making the decisions for them in order to prevent their children{***}MissingW makeVForm the wrong decisions and also{***}MissingW wasteWForm their time. In addition, American also wants to solve their problems by themselves. When they are in trouble, they need time to handle with the problem. During this period, they do not want their friends or their family keep calling and distracting them. So, sending a card or several words to them may be the best way to remind them there is someone who is supporting them. However, in China, when people are getting into trouble, it is happy for them to receive cards or even phone calls from their friends or family because they do not like to be alone and this will give them energy to solve the problem.

Secondly, besides individualism, the value of privacy also seems to have a big difference between America and China. Gary Althen also states that AmericanSing/Plu assume that people "need some time to themselves" or "some time alone". It means, sometimes, American want to be alone to think about things, and they also believe it is a easy way for them to have perfectly relax and renew their body energy again. Therefore, they cannot understand the people, just like Chinese, who always want to be with another person. In China, people don't think they need time to do something by their own. If it is possible for them to do things with some people else, they will do it together because they think two is better than one. Furthermore, the people in American are trained to concern about privacy. When they are young, they usually can have their private room to protect their privacy. But for Chinese children, they always share room with their sisters or brothers. They are free to enter or go out the room which is sharing. So, they do not consider that they need some private space or time. However, people including parents should knock on the door first to ask permit before they enter a room in America. If they don't knock the door first, the one inside the room will seem to be cool and angry. Therefore, American isWChoice attached more importance to privacy than Chinese.

The difference in value about future is the last cultural difference that I experienced between America and China. American is so independent that they believe that they can do anything by their own hands. Since I studied in America, I have heard many idioms that show the independence of American such as "Nothing is impossible" and "Try your best then you can do it". These idioms show the difference from China. One of the biggest culture that have been existed since the ancient China is the belief that people and the environment should be exist in a harmonic way. They will not do anything that may ruin the environment, but American will try to alter the environment to what they like and desire.{1}

In conclusion, there is not only one person in the world, so people need to learn and know others' cultures before they move to a new place. Although individualism and privacy are the most differences between America and China, I can adjust more easily and avoid intercultural conflicts after I understand American's values and assumptions on these problems.