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My Journey Towards Learning Chinese Culture

Learning represents a process of gaining new information, values, skills, preference, and attitudes through acquiring new knowledge, information, behaviors, abilities, ideals, dispositions, and inclinations. Humans, animals, and certain robots all have the potential to learn, and there is evidence that certain plants can learn as well. Some learning happens right away as a result of a single event. However, repeated experiences lead to a great deal of expertise and knowledge. Learning transforms people for a lifetime, and it’s difficult to tell the difference between taught material that appears to be “lost” and stuff that cannot be recovered. As a result of continual interactions between people and their environment, human learning and learning begins at birth and continues until death. Educational psychology, neuropsychology, behavioral sciences, and pedagogy are among the areas that study the origins and processes of learning. Various types of learning have been identified as a result of research in these disciplines. Learning can occur as a result of mental conditioning, habituation, classical, operant conditioning, or more sophisticated behaviors like play, which are only found in more intelligent species. Learning is either consciously or unconsciously. When individuals discover that they cannot prevent or escape an unpleasant situation, they may develop a condition known as learned helplessness. Habituation has been found as early as 32 weeks into pregnancy, showing that the central nervous system is adequately formed and primed for memory and learning to occur early in development.

Culture represents an essential aspect in the life of an individual as it gives them identity. As humans, we can learn about other people’s cultures and learn to speak a foreign language easily. People can get a better knowledge of their own culture through dealing with people from different cultures. Learning a foreign language boosts one’s ingenuity. Graduates frequently cite foreign language classes as some of the most important courses in college because of the effective communication gained. Being an individual student in a foreign country presents a person with different challenges daily, and the primary amongst them is cultural shock. Cultural shock happens when an individual is exposed to a foreign language for the first time and requires first learning abilities in order to figure how to live within the foreign society.

In the process of learning, I was given an opportunity to visit a stay and school in China as part of a cultural diversification program. The whole cultural diversification program was scheduled to take a duration of two years and was fully sponsored by the government. My biggest role in the program was to live and learn in China for two years. On arrival, I was welcomed by the foster parents who had volunteered to let me live within their family for the whole duration. Walking down the airplane staircase, I was joyed to see a couple of Chinese descent holding a placard bearing my name and the “Welcome to China. We Love You”. The Chinese and American difference in culture is well documented, and on greeting the couples, that was the first time learning firsthand of the difference. As Americans, it is our principle not to hug a person we are meeting for the first time due to their personal reasons that might be unknown to us and promote courtesy or even to showcase a high level of professionalism which forms the bedrock of our society. As usual, I was quick to offer my hand and prepared by posture stability in anticipation of a warm welcome from the couple, starting with the man. I was pulling my briefcase; therefore, my left hand was still holding the briefcase handle, clearly indicating the inability to comprehend what was about to occur. Rather than shaking my hand, the short well build man opted to hug me firmly and went ahead to lift me from the ground, I was taller than him, but he was more masculine; within seconds, I was swinging my legs helplessly midair and my face was too high and swung further behind the man’s back, for a minute he struggles to recapture his center of gravity, and we almost toppled. My mind was still healing from the escapade when the mother rained three kisses on my chicks.

It was not long before I realized that their level of speaking English was at the basic level, which was much better than my zero levels of speaking and understating the Chinese dialect; that is when I decided to brace myself for ore rude cultural shocks. On arrival at the home, the house and the compound were fully packed, and I should be forgiven for thinking that the people’s presents were only due to my welcoming ceremony. It took me three days to understand that everyone in the compound was actually at home. At school, I manage to make few friends on the first day.

To cut the story short, my journey towards learning the Chinese language and culture began when I set my foot in the jet to China. My first days in school and at home were similar as they were all marred with hardship and more confusion. But with time, I became more in fast-tracking my learning process and ensuring I understood the Chinese language and culture. Knowing that the classroom will only offer basic, I became more interested in crashing into Chinese cultural festivals even without an invitation. I became more outgoing and never missed parties and hiking ceremonies organized by fellow students.

I also became too curious that some of the friends I had made began to avoid me as I plagued their memories with varied questions of varied types and nature. After noticing, I decided to up my game and found a Chinese girlfriend. I should say that these Chinese girls love differently, but that is a story for another day. All the techniques I employed especially deciding to date a Chinese girlfriend, play an essential role in my learning and acquiring knowledge and skills regarding the Chinese culture. As we speak, I am well versed with the Chinese dialect and culture, and I credit the international cultural exchange programs and my attitude towards learning the culture.

Work Cited

Fickel, Letitia Hochstrasser, Christine Henderson, and Gaylene Price. “Language, culture, and identity at the nexus of professional learning.” Educational Research 59.4 (2017): 391-407.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00131881.2017.1373029. Accessed on 12th September 2021.