Adapting to New Cultures

This week in Bluechip was all about learning to adapt in different cultures. We found that this was very hard to do even when were we just playing a simple card game but by different rules. We all broke up into different groups and we were given a rules sheet to read, only when we were trying to figure out the game , we could not talk. Once we thought we knew how to play, we started playing in silence. Depending on if you “won” or “lost” you would either stay at the table you were at, or you would move to a different table. This means that we had a new player at our table every round. This person would have to play by our rules without getting a clear overview of how we play meaning they simply had to just adapt. At the end of the game we were asked why playing this game was important and we all had a pretty clear view as to what they wanted us to get out of it. We learned a lot from this game, and we can now have a better understanding of what it feels like to have to be immersed in a new culture without previously understanding how it works and what their customs are.

            For example, this year coming to the University of Arizona all the way from Chicago was a complete culture shock. I was not really sure how different the people here really are. At one point last semester, I was very close to transferring because I felt very out-of-place and I wanted to be back in my comfort zone in the Midwest. After deciding to come back on a whim, I realized I just had to adapt a little bit more to the way people live out here. I am still not 100% used to it, but I am getting better and I have become a much stronger person because of it. I feel like I can do anything after I’ve overcome the obstacles of living in a new culture.

            Another time when I had to adapt to a new surrounding was when I was in high school. I had one group of friend that I always hung around and had a good time. But one day, a friend from outside that group asked me to hang out with her group of friends. Of course I agreed, and there I went. I hung out with her friends, and they all did things way differently than my other group of friends. I soon came to find out, I liked the way this new group of friends did things, and I started hanging out with them more often. That group has become my best group of friends yet! I am so happy I adapted to that culture and took a risk.

            In all, from the game we played in class and my own real-life experiences, I have realized how hard it is to adapt to a new culture. I will always have respect for people coming into our country and having to adapt to our ways.