Culture Guide

This is the second sequel to the Expatriates post.

Along with food, my other main concern when I moved to the U.S was adapting to its culture. Even though I had a little insight on American culture, I still felt I was lost in the sea. Most of my knowledge came from Cartoon Network shows. This channel aired shows similar to Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, and Wizards of Waverly Place. Most of these shows over-exaggerated the facts.

Once I moved to the U.S, I learned a lot through personal experience. The CN shows never mentioned anything about swear words, and offending actions. First few weeks into my eighth grade, a girl called me the "B" word! At that time I never knew what it meant...So I just didn't respond. However, I later learned from my friends that it was one of the many swear words students aren't advised to use.

Learning the hard way, it dawned on me that the CN shows did not always tell the truth. I had to make myself open to new possibilities, ideas, and mindset. I had to stop comparing every situation back to what I learned from the CN shows. However, there was one good thing: I didn't have much of an accent when I moved to the U.S.

When moving to a new country, I would advice you to research a little about the customs and traditions. As for people who intend to move to India, go online and research about your city. More importantly, learn about all of the religious and government holidays, religious ceremonies, and also other festivals pertaining to your neighborhood. There's nothing worse than offending an Indian during one of their religious ceremonies.

Here are a few websites that provide great information about the culture:

http://www.indian-heritage.org/

http://www.thecolorsofindia.com/interesting-facts/culture/index.html

This is the official Indian Tourism website:

http://www.incredibleindia.org/index.html

My main mistake was that I had a fixed mind set and was never opened to new opportunities. I had to stop thinking like an Indian so that I could get a full experience of American Culture. A few years later, I started mixing American and Indian culture and started a new trend among my family and my friends.

New cultures are always fun and exciting. Always make sure you have a few friends that are willing to help you understand and to help you get acquainted to the new culture. Don't feel embarrassed to ask them any questions about the customs; the best way to learn is always to ask questions.