Diversity Nothing Can Ever Really

¶ … Diversity

Nothing can ever really prepare you for the shock of immersing yourself in another culture. We live in an increasingly smaller world, with global economies and communication systems. The Information Age has also necessarily become the Age of Diversity, as cultures mix more and more both socially and in the business world. In a way, though, this time might be better dubbed the Age of Familiarity, because that is what the experience of globalization and the diversity people encounter in it breeds. This familiarity is not instant, however, and though it is an immensely valuable goal, it takes an openness to experiences to attain. As much as people may think they appreciate diversity, the interpersonal realities of globalization can make even the most basic interaction difficult at first. I had such an experience during my first few minutes in this country.

A grew up in Indonesia, where I come from a middle-class background. But although I thought this prepared me for a move to America to pursue my education, I realized very quickly that my life in the United States would take some adjustment. Going through customs at the airport was an experience in and of itself, but what really struck me as different was the diversity of the people in the terminal. The number of languages being spoken all around me, the different colors and styles of clothes -- even the way people stood, and the way they moved were different. I was standing still, unknowingly holding up the line, when the American behind me told me gruffly to "move it." I am not saying that Indonesians cannot be rude, but this was not exactly the introduction to American culture that I had been hoping for. Of course, I grabbed my bag and hurried to catch up with the line (which hadn't moved very far, by the way), but as I continued to stand in line with the gruff-voiced American right behind me, I began to grow both embarrassed and angry, with the latter emotion winning.