Culture Shock–from China to America

Sophomore Michael Ma won 3rd place and $100 in the English-Speaking Union’s Writing Competition for his essay about a unique American custom. The prompt is as follows:

In the United States, some of our customs are so much a part of our lives that we don’t even recognize them as unique. Is there one custom that you think exemplifies life in the US? How would you explain it to someone from another country–or planet?

Here is Michael’s award-winning reply:

American Culture

As an international student, it’s funny to talk about a topic like American culture. Sometimes I felt that I had much in common with Amy Tan (the author of The Joy Luck Club) while I was reading those stories. As a Chinese, actually I don’t feel something has a huge gap between Chinese culture and American culture. So many universal elements emerge and I grow up under those elements. So in some ways, teens are similar in both countries. But I have to say that people are actually different in these two countries. Americans always give me a feeling of kindness, and everybody here loves smiling. American people often give off a feeling of positivity. From my perspective, the first thing I noticed about American culture is smiling.

The United States is a combination of a variety of cultures; the people come from all over the world to stay here and form into a big country. Above all, it’s easy to see that American people are tolerant. That’s why smiling is so popular here.

Actually, when I was in China, I heard a lot about how tolerant American people are, and I think this is a country full of happiness and freedom. I think that the biggest sign for this country is smiling. It’s hard for an unhappy person to keep smiling all the time. I heard a lot about how a smile can change a person’s life before, but I could not get it until I came to the U.S. by myself. I can see the smile from a stranger’s face on the street, from my teachers, from the cashiers and also from myself. I truly understand why so many people love the United States.

In China, a stranger is a stranger. We don’t know each other, so we don’t need to say hello or give each other a warm smile. We just walk past each other quickly without even any eye contact, because no one would like to be misunderstood as a mad person. In China, if you smiled at a person you did not know, they might think you are crazy. So did I. That’s why the culture of smiling shocked me so much that I started to change myself deeply. I want to be a part of everyone. So I started smiling to an old lady on the street or a little kid around my feet. This is a fresh feeling for me. And also an unforgettable experience.

From now on, I will keep reminding myself to enjoy the power of the smile. Because the magic of this country is not beautiful land, it’s not flourishing cities, but a warm smile on everyone’s face.