International Culture

It’s great to be with you all this morning. My name is Brad, and I’m happy to be one of the foreign teachers here at JianYe International Middle School. I come from America and have grown to love living here in China over the last 11 years. 

What is international culture?About three weeks ago, I woke up thinking about how amazing it is to be back in China. I have been studying and working in America for the last five years. I didn’t leave the US before coming back to China. However, I really wanted to go abroad and meet new people, but I couldn’t because of work.Experiencing the way that people live in other countries is exciting. You can try new types of food, see beautiful sites, listen to interesting music, and laugh with people who can barely communicate with you. 

When I think about traveling to a new place or country, I think about the experience I want to have and how I need to act in those places. When I went to the Philippines, I felt that I was going to a place that was all about being polite and respectful. I discovered that people enjoyed talking with me and wanted to make friendships quickly. I even met people traveling from other countries while I was there. Like myself, those people who were traveling quickly formed a community of travelers. We met for dinners and talked about different parts of our travel experiences and life journey.

 When I was living in Guangzhou, I had a similar experience. I had a large international community of friends from all over the world. I discovered that people wanted to help if they had a similar experience. Also, people allowed for different opinions and views because a friendship or relationship was very important. 

If I had a guide to give you to make relationships with people in an international community, I would suggest the following:1.Ask people to tell you more about who they are.2.Enjoy learning about the difference and similarities between all of us.3.Think about making a friend and not just a contact.4.Let the other person talk even if you disagree. If you make a mistake, saying sorry or offering an apology goes a long way to fix issues or misunderstandings.5.Be yourself. 

To me, international culture is about traveling alongside other people who are trying to have exciting experiences. Researchers have learned that people are happier in life if they spend money or time on experiences rather than buying many things. I hope you can spend some time this coming holiday season making new friendships with people different from you. Let’s see the world together and enjoy cultures from all over.

speech maker/foreign teacher Brad