Dinner with Dr. Ro

I love hearing her perspectives, and I greatly respect Dr. Ro. Not only because she understands homesickness, but in a way greater than anyone else, she helps me deal with it and she's teaching me to overcome this cultural-bias I am so deeply acquiring.

I find myself to be less accepting of American culture than many TCKs and MKs. Though I adapt easily, I feel so disapproving toward so much of the way things are here and what I myself have adopted. Mannerisms, respects issues, food, expressions, the air? etc.

Coming here, I ought to adopt the culture with more open arms. It is easy to disregard the admirable qualities of America and its culture. This would definitely be an easier post to write if I instead ranted of all things frustrating about being here and adapting to this alien culture. But I often forget this one very important point, that I have very close American friends, whom I love and care for, and by beating their culture up I am forgetting that God gave me such blessings as a package.

Dr. Ro had some wise words:

-We need to trust that God has us here for a purpose, and that he is especially equipping us by providing us with the cultural experience. There is a reason that I grew up in the specific culture which I grew up in, and also a reason why I am put here in America to familiarize myself with this culture.
-We should absorb the culture here, and not deliberately draw distinctions between my culture vs. their culture. I love this piece of advice, because it is perfectly fitting for me. Going Malaysia/Asia vs. America/Western is my specialty. This is perhaps the biggest contribution to my misery too. It is probably a part of an answer to why I am unable to build closer friendships with the general American population. I have adopted a judgmental stance and perhaps there may be two paths while comparing cultures: avoid condemning what I am not used to; being thankful for what I have been brought up by is a great thing!
-Don't forget that God created the whole world! Each nation has good and bad qualities. (That doesn't mean one cannot have a preference)

I don't think it's wrong to be repelled by certain qualities and to be attracted to others. This is why I particularly love Asia. But it is a mistake to generalize and stereotype. Instead of speaking in general terms, identify individuals, and speak out preferences as an individual. We are too prone to generalize, it is perhaps one of the greatest cultural wrongs we are capable of. We also perhaps can never get rid completely of such biases, but we can make every conscious effort to try.