- Published: November 14, 2021
- Updated: November 14, 2021
- University / College: Université de Montréal
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 39
Personal Experience Personal Experience Life outside my native country was quite difficult to contemplate as I went to the U. S. for studies. However, on getting to the U. S., I was received and appreciated by my hosts and even forgot that I had other issues that were making it difficult for me to remember how it felt in my native country. One thing that really changed the way I look at life is the community is live in. the people here do things differently and that makes it difficult to compare them to the people in the UAE. The way of life is relaxed and people have time for family above everything else. One thing noted during the initial days after getting into the country that was quite different from UAE is that people stick to their families and do not even know who most of their neighbors are. They just choose to live isolated and do not care about the neighbor across the street unless the neighborhood is of a low-income level or middle-class. Not all middle-class neighborhoods appreciate people who come to knock at their doors but they also choose their favorites with whom they associate with greatly. In the event that the neighborhood is closely knit, the people will be inviting each other for barbeques and parties, and the neighbors always come with drinks and are ready to assist where they can to make the party a big event.
The people here care about each other and are mainly divided by class. The level of participation in events in the country imply a great level of understanding that allows them to make good use of their skills as a way of creating the best moment in their lives that will remained etched into their minds until something else happens. In the UAE, the only life people have depends on the family values. Some families will have their extended families stay with them and the sharing of meals and events define their fun moments. In the US, the extended family mainly comes together once a year during thanksgiving and any more visits will be preplanned (Besamusca, 2011). In the UAE, families maintain close links with each other and define the importance of developing their ties further, appreciating what they do together.
The children are also raised liberally, and that is different from what is practiced in the UAE. Children in the U. S. have a lot of freedom and some do not even listen to their parents because of the freedom accorded to them. They go to parties without their parents’ presence and some even indulge while at those parties. In the U. A. E., it is quite different. Strict discipline is used to raise children to be better in the society. Religion is another thing that shapes the behaviors of most teenagers in the UAE. These are attributes rarely used in the US as methods of maintaining discipline. Children in the UAE are bound by their parents rules and the societal expectations rather than what their friends think about them.
From my study in the US, I realized that the society there is quite different from what the UAE is all about. There are several things that affect the way people live, and that makes it difficult to underestimate the impact that foreign countries have on the lives of the non-natives. I now understand what the U. S. is like and I appreciate my experience.
Reference
Besamusca, E. (2011). Foreign eyes: International students reflect on Utrecht. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.