Living With Different Customs, Practices, and Values

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Living With Different Customs, Practices, and Values

One of the greatest aspects of people from anywhere in the world is culture. Customs, practices, and values are all apart of culture that identify who we are as a person and where we come from. Being a stranger in a strange land has its basis of showing where you have come from and what your cultural backgrounds are. It is just as important to express the culture from where you have come from as it is to practice the culture to where you have immigrated.

It is 1988 and it is time to say to goodbye to all my friends in Russia. The long and awaited day has come for me when I would be immigrating to America. The different customs, the different language, the different practices, and values are amongst the major differences that I was so worried about yet so anxious to experience. Upon my arrival to the United States it was like nothing I have ever seen before. There really wasn’t much of this middle men in education where a student would just do “ average “ in school. It was basically all or nothing. Life was very difficult to come by for most people. Even though some people such as my mom’s parents were both doctors the average starting salary for them would be around $1,500 dollars a year. And most prices were the same as they are in America. However education in Russia even through college was free. However it was very difficult to be accepted to a fine state college. Only the richest people were able to afford to purchase a car and those people were considered to be the richest of the rich being well of. Going into business was what made many very successful in life however it was very risky. Many times what is known as the Russian Mafia would come into business and d...

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...rought up with.

Through Randal Bass’s essay, and my own personal experience I have realized that all people are different than others. Especially myself who has immigrated to a foreign country. Each person has his/her own values, customs, practices, and way of life. According to Randal Bass, although language barrier can be a great problem it should never let any one not be able to live their own life. The English language can have several meanings to certain words and people have to work with each other to be able to understand each other. America is all about working hard and striving to achieve. It is a place of freedom and opportunity and that should not be taken away from any person.

Works Cited:

Bray Randall. “ Borders as Barriers: Otherness and Difference, “ Bordertexts: Cultural Readings for Contemporary Writers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.

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