A Lesson in Culture

I found a foreign land in my home country

上一門文化課 - 我在家鄉發現了異地

I've had many opportunities to experience living in a foreign culture, but my first experience came in an unexpected place - my own country. When I was 20, I got an internship in New York City. It was my first time to live outside of my home state of Texas.

With my move north came culture shock. I grew up in a big city in Texas. But it was no comparison to the tightly packed Boroughs of New York with their 8 million residents. My new home was in Time Square, a hub constantly filled with traffic, noise, people and lights, I was used to life at a relaxed pace; New York moved fast. The saying is true - this city never sleeps. I had to adjust.

My first reaction was fear. Fear I would fail at my new internship in the 54-story office building. Fear of getting lost on the subway. Fear that the locals wouldn't have patience for my frequent moments of confusion. My anxieties ranged from reasonable to ridiculous. But I faced my fears and kept trying.

I learned quickly never to assume a New Yorker speaks English and to be respectful of lifestyles that were new to me. New York is home to people of all walks of life, from all corners of the world. My coworkers were Polish, Colombian, Puerto Rican, Greek and Armenian, to name a few. I ran errands to a shop where all the male employees were Orthodox Jews and wore their hair in traditional curls. I spent hours wandering Canal Street in Chinatown - the closest I'd ever been to an Asian country.

By the end of my internship. I was a little older, a little wiser and sick of big city life. I hated the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay for a cheeseburger and fries. But I had grown, too. I was quicker, smarter and more independent. I knew I would miss that feeling of having the world right at my doorstep. But it was good preparation for the life of travel I'd soon begin.

Grammar Gyms:
Fear I would fail at my new internship in the 54-story office building.
Fear of getting lost on the subway.
Fear that the locals wouldn't have patience for my frequent moments of confusion.
Repeat wording because the writer wants people to know how much fear she is facing.
Example:
This past month has been really crazy for Jan and she is tired.
*Tired of all the work she has to do.
*Tired of taking care of the bills at home.
*Tired of being yelled at by everybody.

Vocabulary Tips:
internship -实习的工作，医生的实习阶段。
*Victor completed his internship at the county hospital.
*Joshua got an internship at Microsoft.
intern (n)-实习生，实习医生。
culture shock - 文化冲击。experience something that you are not used to, not very pleasant experience.
culture - 文化，shock -冲击。
*When we first moved to the States, we went through quite a culture shock.
constantly - always, happen often. 不断地，时常地。
*Sherry is constantly checking her cellphone.
constant (adj)-持续的。
*His constant nagging really annoys me.
confusion - not sure, someone tell you this and reality is another. 混乱，困惑
*There was a lot of confusion about who was the head of the project.
foreign - something new you never know or try or outside the country. 外国的，陌生的。
no comparison - can not compare at all, totally different.
tightly packed - very packed, no room between. 拥挤。
hub - crowd, a lot of going on.
moment of something - not always happen,  it happen for a short period of time.
many moments of something-
range - a lot of space between something to another.
respectful (adj)-尊敬的，尊重的。
respect -尊敬。
*You need to be respectful of other people's opinions.
disrespectful -dis + respectful, - not respect. 不尊重的。
errand - common daily work. 差事，
do errands or run errands. 办差事，或是[跑腿做事。
*The boss just sent her secretary out on an errand.
*I have to run some errands for my mother this morning.。。。 我必须为我母亲跑腿办些事。
at one's doorstep - it means that go any where or do anything is very convenience just right in front of your house. 离自己很近。触手可及的地方。
doorstep - the front area of the door.门階。
*When you enter the world of the internet, it feels like all the info you need is right at your doorstep.
preparation (不可数n)-准备
*My experience as a server was good preparation for running a restaurant.
preparation (可数n) -预备工作。
*Mom is really busy with preparations for my sister's wedding.
walk of life - lifestyle and background. (people from all over the world has different living style and background.)
all corners of the world - every area, every parts of the world.
just to name a few - there is a lot, just say or name a few.
curl -curly (adj) -卷曲的，卷的。
sick of - tire of, not want to do it anymore.厌倦。
I hate that - not really enjoy or like it. 讨厌，不喜欢的。
compound words - two word put together to make a word, such as skyscrapers, doorstep, lifestyle, cheeseburger, Chinatown, popcorn......just to name a few.

Language Tips:
urban - 城市。都市
urban families -城市，都市家庭。
suburban (adj) - sub+urban =都市外圈的近郊。
suburbs (n)-都市外圈的近郊。都市外圈有很多的近郊区域，多用复数。。
The suburbs - 整体统称“都市外圈的近郊” 在前面加上定冠词"the"。
rural -乡村，小镇。
rural area -乡村，小镇地区。
megacity - huge, giant city with more than 10 million people live in there.巨型都市，人口至少在1千万人以上。 （全世界只有27个，15个在亚洲）
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assume/ presume : 假设，猜想。
assume - wild guess. 乱枪打鸟，没有任何证据的猜测。
I learned quickly never to assume a New Yorker speaks English. 学会不要随便猜测每一个。。。说英文。
presume -educated guess.依据经验，知识所做的猜测，或是有一定依据才做的假定。例如：看到一位男子无名指上戴有戒子而猜他是已婚的男士。（猜测依据知识及经验，习俗而假设的）