<p>Hi, parents-</p>
<p>As an international student, what would you suggest are some fundamental things for me to know about American culture? Songs, Movies? What literature works are “well-read” among the ordinary Americans? </p>
<p>Thanx</p>
<p>Tell us where you are from and we might be able to point out the differences. </p>
<p>Are you going to a US university? Presumably you’ll want to read the literature your classmates have read? (Not ‘ordinary’ Americans, perhaps…)</p>
<p>Thanx, cheers!</p>
<p>I am from China and I am going to a great LAC, you’re right about the non-ordinary part ;)</p>
<p>You’re going to think this is a peculiar thing to say, but can you afford to take diction lessons when you arrive in the US? </p>
<p>I say this because many Americans do not understand English spoken with a Chinese accent. If you can learn to speak English with little to no accent, it will be a great help. (Don’t flame me, please. I know a brilliant Chinese academic who got his law degree from a top ten law school in the US yet couldn’t get a job in a midwestern law firm because of the heavy accent).</p>
<p>Differences (Generalized):</p>
<p>American students are more forward than Chinese students. They make an effort to meet new people. They make an effort to get to know their professors. You should too. </p>
<p>What subject are you studying? In America, at an LAC in particular, much of the learning will be done through discussion, not lecture. Your teacher and your classmates will expect you to learn how to participate in those discussions.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about songs and films. They will vary from school to school and your interest will be a great way to get to know classmates: for example, you can ask your classmates what music or films they have stored on their laptops. </p>
<p>Have you ever lived in another country?</p>
<p>Napolean Dynamite is a current (just released on DVD) movie that all the kids talk about.</p>
<p>I agree about working on your accent. For some reason, many Americans find English harder to understand when spoken with an Asian accent than with accents from other parts of the world.</p>
<p>There is a series of books called “Culture Shock” which describe differences between various countries’ cultures and, I think, US or British cultures. I know that some Asian cultures are within the series. Well worth getting and reading.</p>
<p>Some things that I hear are considered polite in the US, but aren’t in parts of Asia are: looking into people’s eyes while talking to them; blowing one’s nose in public (though not during a meal), talking about oneself in a confident manner and accepting praise. I also know that Americans speak louder and make more expansive gestures than do people in many other cultures. I think, too, that asking a person about their religious preferences is a more sensitive topic in the US than it is in parts of Asia. On the other hand, I have heard that it’s more acceptable in the US to talk about political issues than it is in parts of Asia.</p>
<p>You’ll get more info if you also post in the Cafe or in the high school or college boards, where young people are more likely to reply than they will here. Most of us adults aren’t that in touch with specifics about the popular culture that our kids are into.</p>
<p>i’m one of those strange High schoolers who posts here, so here’s my suggestions</p>
<p>I’ll third the accent suggestion. I mean this is a non-offensive way, but it is very difficult for us Americans to understand an Asian accent in English. I’m not sure why, but I have always had trouble understanding my friend’s parents when they are from an Asian country. </p>
<p>In terms of music/films, I would reccomend just picking up a few American films/CD’s from different genres just to get a taste of what we like. </p>
<p>I believe American humor is a bit different as well. I’m not sure how to explain myself here, but if you watch some more comedic movies, you’ll understand what I mean. </p>
<p>In terms of literature, you might want to pick up a few of the classics.</p>
<p>Yeah Im a high school student too but here are my recommendations</p>
<p>Some bands/musicians that a lot of kids listen to are:
The Shins
Weezer
The Strokes
Death Cab for Cutie
Modest Mouse
Wilco
Franz Ferdinand
Dashboard Confessional
Frou Frou
Sublime
The Postal Service
The Dave Matthews Band
The Beatles
The Grateful<br>
Bob Dylan </p>
<p>Movies that a lot have seen/really like: Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, Zoolander</p>
<p>Books: practically every American kid reads The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger its a must-read. you can also pick out some classics like The Great Gatsby, One Hundred Years of Solitude, etc. </p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I’ve never read Catcher in the Rye actually. Beatty all of your bands are in the same genre, I think he/she should look at a larger variety of genres. I would put lord of the rings on the move list, and if you have a ton of spare time on the book list.</p>
<p>Remember that you’re coming here to learn about American culture. Don’t expect to be fully up to date on it. That’s the fun part of going to school in another country.</p>
<p>Now a question for you that I hope you can help me find the answers to. I may be spending next summer in Hong Kongr. What do you think that I should know about the culture there that would help me fit in (as much as a black American can fit in). I know that you seem to be from the mainland, but I am hoping you have some ideas.</p>
<p>BTS, I scanned some of your other posts before replying. You are doing your “homework” in an impressive manner. I’m at an office and am expecting clients momentarily…I will think about this and post some suggestions later. </p>
<p>The comments about accent are good…some Chinese have the same problem with my Mandarin that I have with their English. Being bright and succesfully verbal will usually beat out being bright but quiet in an LAC environment.</p>
<p>Hi</p>
<p>You probably have good grammar and can write good essays, but it’s hard to get a conherent sentence out in a second if you aren’t used to speaking it. Try taking a speech/diction class.</p>
<p>Watching movies is best way to adapt to spoken american english speed…british english (which is usually taught in schools there) is much slower. Drama or romance movies should be good, but not action-packed movies. See if you can make out the words without using subtitles/captions.</p>
<p>Read books. they give you better ideas about american culture than movies.</p>
<p>don’t listen to music…people don’t talk the way the singers sing.</p>
<p>One thing that profs comment on about students from Asia: they are afraid to assert their opinions, to diverge from what they’ve read or heard in lectures, to be original. As a result, many are considered solid but not brilliant.<br>
I hate to say it, but one way to observe another culture is by watching TV. It’s also great for leaning the language.</p>
<p>^ gotta agree with lack of creativity</p>
<p>When i came here from an Asian country, 20 years ago, i fit in quite well as far as accent, social behavior and humor. But one of the things that I had to learn very fast, was, not to be afraid to express a contrarian viewpoint, and how to do it without making the other person feel inferior. Like, by first agreeing that their statement could be true, but had they thought of this…and then give my opinion. (When i first started to speak out, I would totally interrupt, and contradict the person).</p>
<p>I also noticed that most of the other students had a good balance of academic and social life, while the Asians stood out negatively by only worrying about exams, grades, and concern about how someone else was doing in their class. A lot of stereotyping, but very often true. I was more than happy to start having some fun too!!!</p>
<p>Bow, my son who lived in Asia from the time he was 6 always felt that he was out of touch with American pop culture. He found the best source for keeping up with US TV, trivia, politics, movies, scandals was Mad Magazine!</p>
<p>Bowtoserenity, keep in mind there is a difference in learning about the culture of day to day life in America, and becoming up to date on the movies/music that will be popular with your peers. You will want to learn something about both, but do not judge everyday life by Zoolander (which is hilarious, by the way), even movies that are meant to be “realistic” tend to exaggerate. It is like reading the paper and thinking based on the emphasis on crime, fires, etc that people are murdered on every street corner.</p>
<p>hm i disagree with the poster who said “don’t listen to music.” one of my relatives is a professor of languages. he starting learning the 12 languages he knows by strumming/singing along to foreign songs on his guitar. i think music is both a really fun way to start learning the language, as well as a good way to familiarize yourself with a side of pop culture that we American kids are really interested in.</p>
<p>Everyone–</p>
<p>Thank you so much ! :D</p>
<p>I do have a little accent but I don’t really know how to get rid of it…lol. :(… And I know it will hamper my future quite a bit…But I will work on it, thanx! BTW, where can I take diction lesson?</p>
<p>Northstarmom-Thanks a lot for the suggestion on the difference between the cultures! I am from mainland. I think chinese culture is more “introvert” when you first encounter it. Traditional chinese culture also emphasizes one’s humbleness -> westerners sometimes can be too outgoing and ignore the boundry of privacy. I don’t think you will have a huge “shock” since Hong kong is more western and has a lot of foreigners living there. Just be open-minded (I am sure you are) and have fun! </p>
<p>beatty- I haven’t read Cather in the Rye…but I expect it will be an exciting read! I read Catch 22 in the summer and man…that was outrageoously funny…</p>
<p>cheer- How much will it cost to take a diction class? I’ve stayed in U.K. for half a year.</p>
<p>And I will speak out loud in the class…hehe…</p>
<p>You’re getting lots of good suggestions. Pay attention to Marite’s comments especially.</p>
<p>In general, Americans differ from the rest of the world because they worship the INDIVIDUAL over the group. This is almost the opposite of Chinese culture and it will take a long time to understand. </p>
<p>Think about how many so called “world” celebrities there are and count the number of Americans. 90%? Who do you think elevates those INDIVIDUALS to that God-like status? Crazy, individual loving Americans. Granted, no one knew it was going to get this bad–E! a whole network devoted to celebrity. No one knows how to put it in reverse. </p>
<p>Anyway, the reason Americans are so forward and assertive and loud–and inventive, btw-- can be traced to their worship of the individual. </p>
<p>Culture shock:</p>
<p>You will experience culture shock but it is a bit like peer pressure. Hard to know when it hits you. I will tell you. When you get irritated about the way THEY do something, when you talk about THEIR bad habits with Chinese friends, when you feel like you will never fit in: that’s it! Those are the feelings of culture shock.</p>
<p>I’ve found a very useful way to diffuse culture shock. Whenever I feel irritable about THEM (my host country), I try to catch that feeling and laugh. </p>
<p>It’s not about THEM. It’s about me–me adjusting to the new country. Amazingly, this quick self-reflection makes culture shock go away. Like taking an aspirin. </p>
<p>Likewise, you want to avoid Chinese students who complain non-stop about THEM. They are in deep, deep culture shock and their negativity will hurt you. (When you meet these Chinese complainers, you will think ‘cheers’ is psychic. Their overall level of anger and bitterness will surprise you.)</p>
<p>Northstarmom: Hong Kong! When and for how long?</p>