Jumbo Exchange: Culture shocks

As I mentioned in my last piece, today I am going to talk about culture shocks and social life at Tufts from an exchange student's perspective.

"What is the biggest culture shock you have encountered?" — This is one of the most common questions I have received. Actually, it is fairly hard to describe it. It is because I can barely think of one particular cultural experience. Of course, the States and Japan are totally different in many parts of their cultures such as food, religion, etc. But those are obvious differences and therefore not surprising. Those superficial aspects that are often used to describe American culture are what I already knew before coming here. I even think that most people these days are familiar with those aspects from American movies, television shows and so forth. As such, I have not come across the type of culture shock that overwhelms me at the superficial level.

However, I have experienced culture shocks that are small and subtle. For example, people in Japan are reluctant to talk about politics, while Americans are passionate about it and often do not hesitate to express their opinions. Public spaces in Japan are also kept clean, while people here leave a mess everywhere, especially in bathrooms. These are just two of the countless tiny things that I felt strange about at first and have gotten used to now. I appreciate these experiences, because they give me a broader perspective.

I was also surprised by the huge gap between expectation and reality in the frequency of college parties. It sure sounds stupid, but I honestly believed that U.S. college students have parties almost every day. It is not true, obviously. But I think it is such a nice balance — studying hard on weekdays and having fun on weekends. Besides, parties are not necessarily about loud music and beer pong. Some parties focus on conversation over drinks for the sake of socializing; other parties help people release their stress with activities like board games and dancing. I appreciate this diversity of social activities, because going to a variety of parties helps me to meet new people.

Clubs are another key part of having a good social life here. Especially at the beginning of the first semester, it is not easy for exchange students to find a place where they feel like they belong other than with fellow exchange students, or to find the opportunity to interact with Tufts students other than in class. This is largely because orientation and other school-led activities are designed separately for domestic and four-year international students and for exchange students. To join a club would be one of the best ways to get out of that situation. Tufts has a wide variety of different clubs, so I think it is actually up to individual exchange students to join a club and socialize with other students. But still, it would be great for both sides if clubs can advertise themselves in an orientation session exclusively for exchange students and not just focus on recruiting first-years.

I will continue to discuss my experience of Tufts' social life as an exchange student in my future columns. Stay tuned.