"Fantasy"  by KOOHO SHIN (CFA, DESIGN FRESHMAN)
Student in 82-085  Reading & Writing in a Multicultural Setting

It is my first year visiting this country, and I have been frustrated in communicating with ‘foreigners’ for the first time. Fortunately, I have more chance to talk with American students than I had expected, because we are majoring in Design and need to criticize each other’s art work.

I am starting to recognize the differences between two cultures of my own home country and America. I usually value my first impression of a person although I know it must not be lightly handled. Also, I have heard that most American families teach their children to follow good manners and etiquette, so I tried not to make mistakes, which can occur because of misunderstanding that comes from differences of culture.

I know there are many types of people, but it does not make me feel comfortable to bear the impoliteness of American students who neglect basic manners because of strange reason.

Within a month after the semester began, I was asked to take a picture of a classmate’s final object with my digital camera. So I took several pictures and sent the files by email. Yet, he did not say anything before I asked him whether he had checked his email and see the pictures.

I was a bit upset, but I had no idea if most youngsters act the same. I asked some of my classmates and I heard that, not most of them, but some boys have no regard for expressing appreciation. During the conversation, I could hear that boys attach importance to being cool. It was weird for me, because I have heard that Americans who come to my home country complain that people are so blunt that they do not apologize or appreciate. I could not understand why some people say ‘I am sorry,’ or ‘thank you’ unconsciously in their daily life, and forget to say the same word in a situation in which they should say it.

It can be said as a bad way to interpret by extension, but to my regret, my blind fantasy has been broken.