Blog Assignment #4 - From Two Years in the Melting Pot

PART1: What do you think of Liu’s need to be with other Chinese? Have you had a similar experience? What do you think accounts for the need to be with other people from your own country, even if they are strangers?

“Try not to hang out too much with people who speak the same language.” This is one of the common advice if someone is planning to go abroad to learn a language. Since the language-learning comes from a lot of speaking and listening practice, that is obviously something to avoid to make a faster progress because you would not use the second language if it is not needed. Nevertheless, I have seen so many students who are spending most of their time only with the people who are from the same country. In fact, I am one of those students. I feel comfortable and secure with them because I know we have a lot in common in the current situation and the things we have experienced.
Liu felt relieved only because he was with Chinese people even though he had never met them before. I totally understand what Liu felt. I like his term "bridge person." and I agree with his description. I think that is why we are trying to be with the people from our own country especially at the beginning. If you move in somewhere strange, everything is new and you don’t know how to deal with things in a different system. When you are having a problem, they are willing to help you because many of them have experienced the same difficulties and they know how to take care of them. Moreover, they can explain the solutions better using their native language. They become the “bridge person” who connects you with the whole new world.
However, our tendency to be with the people from the same country is not only because the adapting procedure. As the writer mentioned, sometimes it is hard to understand Americans’ conversation although we understand every single word. This is because we don’t know about the “background.” They share the same history, culture, and educational system. For example, if an American makes a joke with a dress saying “Why don't you buy that dress? You would be a prom queen tonight!” and another replies “Come on, I am not a high school kid anymore.” I would question myself, why is it funny? I know neither how typical American high school kids are like nor what the prom queen looks like. This discordance would make me depressed because it seems there is, and there will be a wall between them and me no matter how good my English is. It is about whole life understanding based on the experiences which I can't learn fast. People from my country would understand me better simply because we shared many things even such as TV programs and celebrities. These similarities bind us together tightly.
For these reasons, in a foreign country, people tend to seek someone who is from their own country even if he/she is a stranger. Since people who have the same nationality make a big familylike society in the world, once they are out of their country, even a stranger becomes like a family member.


PART2: Based on our reading selection, post three words and their definitions that you had to look up in a dictionary this week.

1. excerpt
Noun. An excerpt is a short piece of writing or music which is taken from a larger piece.

2. preeminent
Adj. If someone or something is preeminent(pre-eminent) in a group, they are more important, powerful, or capable than other people or things in the group.

3. dispel
Verb. To dispel an idea or feeling that people have means to stop them having it.
e.g. The president is attempting to dispel the notion that he has neglected the economy.

4. complacent
Adj. A complacent person is very pleased with themselves or feels that they do not need to do anything about a situation, even though the situation may be uncertain or dangerous.
e.g. We cannot afford to be complacent about out health.