Collision and Fusion

Collision and Fusion

For cultures to blend，people have to start by letting cultures bump into each other. They have to discover the differences, and then they can decide which is the right direction. Different cultures influence the way people get along with each other. I have lived in China for twenty-two years, and I got used to the way to communicate with Chinese people. I know that it can be difficult to communicate with people in the United States. Being exposed to a new culture has made me lose a lot of things that belong to me. When I came to the United States, I was not used to communicating with the people here. The integration of the two cultures has been a long process. I would not say the American way of communication is bad, but I am still adjusting. There are many reasons that make me miss the Chinese way of communication.

The first thing that makes me nostalgic for family communication. American families are more like a family than Chinese families, but also less like a family. I feel like I lost some space of my own. In American families, they have a lot of family day and families party, usually once or twice a week. However, I do not like this atmosphere. Because in China, I only get together with our families on important holidays. It gives me more time to devolve my hobbies. In contrast to the strong family atmosphere, American children face a lot of pressure at a young age. When they become adults, they usually have to pay rent for the houses and pay some tuition for their colleges. I have to pay three hundred dollars of rent to my aunt every month. I feel that while making the children become independent, it also make the family lose the atmosphere of family. That is why I miss the way of Chinese families communicate. It is perfect for me.

I also miss being in Chinese social circles. When I started to go to college in Chicago, I miss Chinese university even more. The reason is I feel it is much easier for people to get along and become close friends in Chinese schools. I lived in a Chinese school dormitory for nine years. I liked that atmosphere very much because I could stay with my classmates all week. We studied together, ate together and lived together. That made me know a lot of real friends, like real brothers. In Chicago, we all go home separately when school is over. It makes it hard for me to communicate at school. The second reason that makes me miss my Chinese social circles is I can easy to find some places for fun with my friends. When I had free time in China, I used to go to the Internet bar to play computer games with my friends. The Internet bar also server drinks and food. There is a perfect place for me to communicate with my friends. I could not find any place like that in Chicago, and I also lost friends in Chicago.

Furthermore, it is hard for me to use Chinese ways of socializing in the United States. The culture affects a lot of the ways a person thinks and speaks. The first thing that makes me feel weird is the “small talk”. I cannot get used to doing the small talk with foreigners. In Chicago, almost every conversation starts with “how are you?” or “how is it going today?”. Then people will talk about the weather or news. I know is a kind of like etiquette, and I would not say it is bad. I just feel like I lost my way of talking in America. Another thing that bothers me is language. It is difficult for me to express my true thoughts with my second language. Many times, I have a lot of Chinese words in my brains but could not come out of my mouth with English words. I like to make jokes with my Chinese friends and usually make them laugh, but I lost this skill in Chicago. That has made me became a silent man. I miss being the one who communicates with people in China. I think I lost my sense of humour in Chicago.

Today, I am still trying to blend the way of communication in two different cultures. It will be difficult for me, and it will be a long process. I think I am slowly getting back the things that I lost. I am learning English to make me becomes a humorous person again. English can also let me meet more friends in Chicago, and let me have a deeper understanding of American culture. In the future, I will not lose my Chinese way of communication any more because I would blend it in the American way.