Studying abroad is a big step on the road to becoming a global citizen. As an international student, I am technically already “studying abroad” so I am very grateful to get the opportunity to study further abroad in some sense. Coming to the US, I realized how much individualism and personal opinions matter in daily life and conversation. Culturally the only shock that really mattered to me was not getting to have authentic Malaysian food everyday, but I did find comfort in American and Mexican foods. Going back to individualism, I think this aspect of culture in the US comes from a highly competitive economy and educational environment.
The US is a good place for people with opinions to speak freely and voice their opinions, as opposed to several countries around the world where personal views are not taken into as much consideration. People outside the US coming into the country for work, education, or tourism generally have an idea of the US from world news or short video clips online. Personally, I certainly felt like I would be conversing about personal beliefs and opinions much more after coming to the US than before. I am a lot more focused on my career and personal growth, maybe because I have grown a lot more compared to when I was a fresh undergrad, but also because my experiences with friends I meet here have encouraged me to do so one way or another. I think individualism in the American culture is also so profound because of the belief that if you “be yourself” you will be successful. This belief also comes with the process of “finding yourself”, which is a path many of the younger generations are taking.
This exercise has helped me reflect on a cultural aspect of the US I’d never really thought about until today. It will be interesting to see how individualism is perceived in London and the UK as I take my semester abroad.