Cultures. They are one of the most binding yet open concepts in the world. It is restrictive in a way that cultural beliefs lead people to behave, speak and think in certain ways. Nonetheless, an individual with a grasp of various cultures are able to see the world with broader and more comprehensive perspective. In such way, culture is open-minded, friendly and wise. Luckily, I consider myself as one of the people with exposure to different cultures and traditions. Living and learning under international environment gave me the opportunity to experience the lives of people coming from various backgrounds. Without these cultural experiences, the way I view the world at this moment would be entirely different. Having said that, I can say with no hesitation that moving to China was the biggest turning point in my life that shaped me into who I am right now. …show more content…
Smartphones were yet to be invented, and I did not even know the existence of Google. Although I have traveled several European countries, my interests were mostly on the food and scenery, rather than the cultures and varying lifestyle of people. After all, I was too young and naive to understand that differences exist among people. Due to such lack of knowledge and ignorance towards the outside world, I had unconsciously developed stereotypes and prejudices against foreign cultures. Thus, it was perhaps the most natural of me to argue with my parents when I first heard that we will be living in China. Heavily influenced by the negative representation of China in news reports and media, I felt as if the end of the world has come. However, it only took me two weeks in China to realize that my life was nowhere near apocalypse, and is in fact a step closer to the ocean of