How to Begin

by: Caitlin

When first asked to come up with an American cultural immersion experience in my Intercultural Communication course, my mind went blank.

The point of the exercise was to recreate a cultural experience for the benefit of the Chinese international students that made up the remaining half of the class. As our group began to explore different options for a “cultural American experience” for the Chinese students to participate in, we found ourselves drawn to American holidays. Easter-egg hunts, opening presents on Christmas Day, setting off fire-works on the Fourth of July, and passing out Valentine’s Day cards all immediately came to the forefront of our discussions.

We finally landed on the idea of a BBQ Fourth of July celebration, complete with flag-printed napkins, hot dogs, potato chips, and sparklers, and to top it all off, we blasted patriotic music from the overhead speakers. As the international students cautiously entered the room, they began to ask questions about this particular tradition in American culture. Our only point of relation came through their celebration of the Chinese New Year.

As the remaining American students filed into the room, they started laughing and cheering with the sounds of “Proud to be an American” filling the air, and a small projector flashing American flags and fire-works on the wall.

The topic of conversation then took a different turn: “This is the essence of America: food, more food, and the American flag,” yelled one student. As all the Americans joined in laughing at the sarcastic remark, the Chinese students remained quiet; looking down or off into the distance.

Despite its obvious joking nature, this comment raises some serious questions. Is our internal definition of American Culture flawed? Is it even existent? Does it revolve around materialism and consumerism? How do external definitions of American Culture contrast with our own?

I feel like all of these questions are of great importance and are longing to be answered. Now... how do we begin?