外國人都是... Foreigners Are Like That...
Thanks to the advent of globalization, distances between people have been shortened and people now have more opportunities to meet and observe foreigners, and perhaps even learn a few things about them.
To start with, the most impressive thing I noticed when I first arrived at the United States was the greeting style of Americans. Nearly every American would say hello to one another, whether they know one another or not. I was a stranger to them, but the first time they met me, they would chat with me or even give me a kiss or hug to demonstrate their warm heart and sincere concern. For Taiwanese, it was quite unusual or unnatural. For we only interact with acquaintances. We hardly ever show extend any friendliness toward strangers. Perhaps that’s why Americans seem to be kinder than us.
As I get to know Americans more, I have noticed that they tend to have more confidence in themselves than Taiwanese. Even children are eager to express themselves and share certain ideas with me without any fear. In contrast, I seem to be quite reserved and timid about expressing myself even though I am already an adult. Furthermore, American students will actively participate in any discussion during class. They are not intimidated by the teacher’s authority or power, nor are they shy about expressing their own opinions. However, unlike American students, students in our country are not that willing to express our opinions even though we do have some exceptional ideas in our minds. It seems that Americans are much more aggressive in learning.
This aggressiveness can be seen in another aspect. As far as I have observed, Americans put a lot of emphasis on the concept of time. The reason why they are so concerned about time is that time is connected to efficiency. In the fast pace of America, people fill their schedules to the limit. Nobody will wait patiently for half an hour beyond the designated time, because the next item on the schedule would be affected. Being late means losing opportunities and diminishing efficiency.
Although not all foreigners demonstrate the same qualities, our encounters with them are opportunities to learn about a different culture so that we can improve ourselves based on that knowledge.
Thanks to the advent of globalization, distances between people have been shortened and people now have more opportunities to meet and observe foreigners, and perhaps even learn a few things about them.
To start with, the most impressive thing I noticed when I first arrived at the United States was the greeting style of Americans. Nearly every American would say hello to one another, whether they know one another or not. I was a stranger to them, but the first time they met me, they would chat with me or even give me a kiss or hug to demonstrate their warm heart and sincere concern. For Taiwanese, it was quite unusual or unnatural. For we only interact with acquaintances. We hardly ever show extend any friendliness toward strangers. Perhaps that’s why Americans seem to be kinder than us.
As I get to know Americans more, I have noticed that they tend to have more confidence in themselves than Taiwanese. Even children are eager to express themselves and share certain ideas with me without any fear. In contrast, I seem to be quite reserved and timid about expressing myself even though I am already an adult. Furthermore, American students will actively participate in any discussion during class. They are not intimidated by the teacher’s authority or power, nor are they shy about expressing their own opinions. However, unlike American students, students in our country are not that willing to express our opinions even though we do have some exceptional ideas in our minds. It seems that Americans are much more aggressive in learning.
This aggressiveness can be seen in another aspect. As far as I have observed, Americans put a lot of emphasis on the concept of time. The reason why they are so concerned about time is that time is connected to efficiency. In the fast pace of America, people fill their schedules to the limit. Nobody will wait patiently for half an hour beyond the designated time, because the next item on the schedule would be affected. Being late means losing opportunities and diminishing efficiency.
Although not all foreigners demonstrate the same qualities, our encounters with them are opportunities to learn about a different culture so that we can improve ourselves based on that knowledge.