Culture Shock in America

             In America, the dominant culture is that of the WASP (Whit Anglo Saxon Protestant). I personally fit into none of these categories; thus, I am part of an Indian-American subculture. Many cultures come to America to experience freedom. What many fail to realize is that with freedom comes many other adaptations to the American way of life. American society does not meet all of everyone's cultural expectations. Some foreigners come to America and fit right in, while others develop a counterculture. Houston is one of the biggest cities in the United States. It is so culturally diverse that you could walk down the street, got to the movies, go shopping, and go to the bank and hear six different languages in one day. These people hold a strong hold on their native cultures while living in a foreign land. WASP culture shock is "the feeling of disorientation tat can occur when one encounters a new or rapidly changed cultural situation" (Anderson, 84).
             Adapting to a new culture is one of the hardest things a person can do, because it feels as if you are leaving a part of yourself behind. There are many aspects to adapting to a new culture, which include learning a new language, eating new foods, dressing differently, and meeting new people. A major issue with people coming here is avoiding becoming the outcast. Learning a new language is one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish when there is no one to translate. The younger a person is when they come to America, the easier it is to learn English. Many older men and women have a much more difficult time learning English, especially when they need to find a job. Finding a job is really difficult when you can not speak the language. The southern United States has a very large bilingual population. Adapting to new foods is also an issue when moving into a new culture. One example of how important this issue could be would be when a person is moving from an agricultural so...

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Culture Shock in America. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 13:28, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/103609.html