American Culture 1

There are several elements that most of us experience in America that can be categorized into American Culture.

Trust
People just trust each other. This whole trust virtue seems so easy and understandable in America that we find it unbelievable when we first arrived. It is just like what we heard. It is everywhere. On the bus, in a store, in school, with people we know or don't. This trust makes everything comfortable to go on and most importantly people really do well with trust. I still remember how Professor Ferraro said in the first class of World Politics that he trust us. And only with trust, we can trust ourselves more that we become more confident in learning and questioning and thinking and the result is just amazing.

Self-advocate
Everyone is important. Every single voice that should be heard need to be heard. Sharing ideas is important. Saying out loud is important. Talking is important. We need to let others know what we are thinking. We need to put ourselves out, maybe uncomfortable because in a non-comfort zone, we feel that we are not ourselves anymore. But we are. Chinese students are just too familiar to not self-advocate. But it is actually not scary at all to say what we think really deep down. And when we say it out, there will be awareness from others that it is even better because they now know how to help us or what to do to adjust. I encourage everybody to say it out loud because your voice is important and should be heard.

Critical Thinking
This is a very important skill or even an ability in America. It is not only in class discussion seminar. It is not only in college campus or liberal arts education. It is a lifestyle. A thinking habit. The good habit to deal with all kinds of information we receive that we should be a little bit suspicious about everything. Question the source, the origin. Question the truth, the "fact". Question our belief and people who put this idea in us. Question and think. To find out why, and how. To understand why things go this way and not the other round. To prove and find evidence. To argue and accept other people to challenge your ideas.