A mosaic on campus
By Oliver Chang
the Carillon

When people come from different parts of the world, the results can often bring enlightenment and joy. There are many international students studying at the U of R, taking in new experiences, adapting to differences, and sharing happiness with others while maintaining their own lifestyle, customs and practices.

College West is one of three residences on campus where international students live. Being an international student myelf, I am able to relate to many of the trials and tribulations these students face every day.

Kentaro Besshi who comes from Japan, is considering celebrating his birthday by holding a party in Victoria Park downtown next year. At that time, he will sing a number of his favorite songs and welcome everybody to join him.

I admire his bravery and creativity and have drawn motivation myself from this idea.

“I love singing, but felt hesitant to sing before many people in a public environment when I was in Japan. because they may think I am crazy or love to show off and would kick my ass,” he replies.

“I am very individualistic and active, but this personality caused me many troubles when I studied at high school in Japan. I was freaked out by other students in my class and I was uncomfortable to act the way I wanted or to disagree with others . . .

“I tried to find myself a suitable circumstance by changing to another school, where the same situation happened again unfortunately. I felt isolated, began to experience self-denial, and sometimes kept silent in order to ‘protect’ myself. It was sad!”

He adds, “I found out that Canada was the right place for me to stay. Canadian students are individualistic because they are able to have their own interests, perspectives and behaviors as long as their manner does not insult or interrupt others to some degree. Perhaps, I would receive praise such as, ‘Hey buddy, your voice is attractive!’ I feel way more free and encouraged since I have come to Canada.”

His words reflect a problem that many people experience when introduced to different cultural backgrounds and traditions. International students’ way of thinking, manner, and behavior has been affected by the place where they grew up.

A major culture shock, therefore, can occur very easily for foreign students. The term “culture shock” was introduced to explain how a person moving to a completely new environment feels: the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do in a new environment, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate.

Almost everything is different. The language and communication is the most important and difficult step for these students who come from other worlds.

Language: the biggest barrier

Jiang Ping from Beijing, China recalls a joke about his improper English at the beginning of his campus life.

“When I settled in after the first few weeks of coming to the U of R, I would greet my Canadian friends by saying ‘Hi, did you eat anything?’

“Everybody seemed to be confused and asked me ‘What’s that?’ or ‘Pardon me?’ After awhile, I recognized that words translated into one language might not make any sense in another.

“In Beijing, we usually say hello to others by asking whether or not they have eaten anything, but in Canada you have to say things like ‘How are you?’ or ‘How is it going?’ I realized that my ‘Chinglish’ did not always work out as well as I hoped.”

The story reminds me of one of my comical experiences learning English. At the beginning, when I received greetings such as “Hi there” from others I did not realize that they were trying to say hello to me.

I assumed that they were wanting to show me something or trying to draw my attention to something interesting, such as “Hi, look over there, something you’ve never seen before!” Later on, I came to accept this as just another way of saying hello.

This is a problem that reflects the different ways people use expressions. It is not a big deal for people who use English as their second language because it can be improved quickly as long as they involve themselves within the English immersion.

Speaking English or communicate with English?

The point, however, is that language cannot always be understood at the level of speaking. Rather, language can be used on a level of communication within the culture. This is often more important then speaking itself.

A Kenyan student says, “The official language in my country is English, but I still have many problems with Canadian students in communication. We belong to various cultural backgrounds and traditions, thus it affects our way of life.

“Our thinking is quite different between us. Our interests are incompatible and it is hard to have something in common sometimes, even if we all speak English.”

The language is not only a tool that conveys information and ideas. It also reflects the cultural background that influences social and language skills as well as behaviour.

International students speak English as the local students do, but the language “un-plug” phenomena appears all the time on campus.

For instance, Ali Khan, a Pakistani student who studies in the Faculty of Engineering, says, “Whenever the professor assigns us a group project, you can see the group is always formed by the people who come from same country. It is not because we don’t want to work with ‘other people,’ but we just feel easier and more affable when we are dealing with ‘our people.’”

Culture shock offers advantages

The symptoms of culture shock can appear at different times. Although one can experience real distress from culture shock, it is also an opportunity for redefining one’s life objectives.

It is a great opportunity for learning and acquiring new perspectives. Culture shock can make a person develop a better understanding of themself and stimulate personal creativity.

“I have learned a lot since I started my studies in the university,” a Korean student says.

“My English has come a long way. One of the most important aspects that encourages me in my studies is the system of grade distribution.

“The post secondary education that I had in Korea had no grade distribution. There is only one final exam, which is not a challenging one, because the professor usually handed out all the detailed information about the exam ahead of time. All you have to do is to memorize and then go to your exam.

“Sometimes students are able to write the exam without knowing the meaning of the answers. In this way, students don’t take their studies seriously and some of them don’t go to class at other times. This ‘spoon feeding’ exam system makes students receive no personal skill and aptitude.”

She continues, “After all, they can finish their courses and graduate as long as they pass all of these final exams. In Canada, however, the situation is different. The exams, assignments, and labs are not easy and require you to study from the text and search for the answers.

“Your knowledge and capability of study can be received through your own study. Also, the grades of each class are divided into certain percentage. It helps to have motivation for studies because if you don’t satisfy the marks you’re looking for on the midterm, you are encouraged to work hard on the next exam.”

The symptoms of cultural shock also animate students of different backgrounds to acquire and adapt new perspectives.

Rick Bussaba, a third-year student who comes from Thailand, says that he has redefined himself and found confidence by living and studying with Canadian students.

“The local students are very open and individualistic. They are proud to speak their own opinions in the class despite whether other students agree with the idea or not. I’ve become more confident and feel free to explain my opinions before my professor and classmates under this circumstance.

“Compared to Canadian students, the students in Thailand speak very deliberately to point out their views in class. They are always concerned if their opinions are convincing and influential to others or not before they sound off.

“I always felt stressful to say something before my classmates in Thailand, even though I believed that I was right. I preferred not to speak, just in case. But I have no such concerns in Canada. My self-assurance is supported by my professor and classmates on this campus.”

He feels relaxed and easy going when he talks to me. I can hardly imagine him as a shy, conservative character.

Similar to other experiences of international students on this campus, his college life gives him a great understanding of a new culture.

A new feeling of humour, transformation and integration are experienced. He is more familiar with the environment and wants to belong. He realizes that the new culture has good things to offer. This enables him to start to define his objective from learning and acquiring new perspectives.