Ever since I came to Western I've broaden my social and cultural horizon more globally than ever. I've met Americans that are some of the nicest people ever, really helpful and just awesome to hang out with.
But as international students have a tendency to get together more often, the intercultural learning here go way beyond the intense "Yankee" lifestyle.
So far, I've made friends with people from Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Italy, Chile, Netherlands, Norway, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Peru, Porto Rico, Jamaica, Guatemala, Kenya, South Korea, China, Guadalupe, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia.
Even though I hold a special care for each and every single person, my time with the Saudi students has grown into a brotherly bond. My curiosity about the Islamic culture has been amplified substantially.
From my experience I've realized that cultural clashes only happen when we're not willing to accept differences. Once we've past those differences, doors open for comprehension and above all for inter-connectivity. After all, we are all brothers and the only thing that really separates us lies within our perception of who we are.
This brings me to a point I want to make about American detachment of cultural diversity. Without generalizing, I've met a few Americans who really put an effort in protecting themselves from anything that doesn't conform with their established perception of reality. Some of the reasons for that have to do with the vast advertised disinformation being broadcast in the media everyday, but that's a whole other subject.
There's no need to be reluctant of accepting different people, from different countries or just different beliefs and ideas. I believe we have evolved quite enough to be able to bring down those barriers, and really the stuff that frightens us is but a primitive defense mechanism, easily overthrown.
Tolerance and understanding will carry people a long way.
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