Adapting to American culture as a Chinese student

Re:Adapting to American culture as a Chinese student by JumpCrisscross on Sunday November 27, 2016 @05:15AM (#13048548)

I grew up multicultural. Austrian mum, Indian dad; Swissman weekending in Saudi Arabia then moving to Cupertino and studying at ASU. I never belonged in one place and saw that as a weakness. But heterogeneity has strength. It forces you to reconcile values from their primitives. This is tough, but I think it makes you stronger.

I remember everyone who shat on me. Swimming against a culture is different from being a contrarian. One is challenging the fundamental premises of a people; the other is innovating within them. The former is biologically designed to hurt.

Corollary: call your friends when they are fired. I remember everyone who called me when I quit my first job.The congratulations? Can't remember one.

TL;DR Engage where others aren't engaging. At a minimum, you will reap rare cognitive primitives.

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Re:Adapting to American culture as a Chinese student by berneezy3 on Sunday November 27, 2016 @05:22AM (#13048561)

OP here. The hardships can definitely be turned into a strength, one that is hard for mono-cultured people to grasp. I also had a rough childhood, and I somewhat held a grudge on my parents for it. But now, I feel like I am reaping those cognitive benefits you so speak of :)

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