During my senior year of high school in 2011, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where I had the opportunity to travel to multiple countries in Asia. My duty station was Yokosuka, Japan, where I experienced culture shock for the very first time. During deployments I’ve traveled to South Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Guam, Singapore and Australia. They all have a completely different way of living. Coming back to America for good, after discharging, was a culture shock because I became accustomed to life in Japan.
Yokosuka, Japan
To begin with, after enlisting in the Navy, I was deployed overseas for three and a half years. I was on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). Yokosuka, Japan is one of the cities in the
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South Korea, Malaysia, Guam, Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore have a different cultures and different ways of living. I experienced good and bad culture shock from some of these countries. It is amazing to see a place on a movie and then you end up living there or touring there on a yearly basis. I had the worst experience when our ship went to Manila, Philippines. As soon as we got off of the pier people were begging for money. Some were barefoot and some of them were even children and elderly. That was heartbreaking to see. One day it was raining pretty hard and the streets began to flood with water higher than your ankle. That very same day I seen an elderly lady and three children sleeping on the cold sidewalk with two small blankets. My friends and I, had children no more than the age of 7, walking around barefoot, begging for money. The entire country is not like that but that area definitely made me appreciate everything I have. Most of the other Asian countries have pretty stable economies. Singapore is by far the cleanest country I have ever been too. It is illegal to drink anything in public. It is even illegal to chew gum. You can go to jail very easily for littering. There are no trashcans or recycling bins on the streets to make sure they stay clean. There is not much to say about Guam. Guam is almost like being in America. They use …show more content…
Things between the two countries are very different. For example, in Japan, the main side of the road is the left side, in America, it is the right. I even got used to hearing the Japanese language, the over-populated streets and trains and the Asian cuisine. Everything in America feels weird to me because I am used to the service a received in Japan versus the service I get here in America. The culture shock I get from being in America isn’t bad. It is simply the same feeling I had when I first deployed to Japan. I just have to get used to being
In the book Learning to Bow, written by Bruce Feiler, Feiler is sent to Japan to teach Japanese students about American values, customs, and its language. Feiler discusses his life and teaching experience in Japan during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. In what became more of a learning lesson however, the author was able to understand what it truly meant to be Japanese. Feiler is better able to understand what it means to be Japanese through his immersion into Japanese society, as well as comparing his Americanized ideals with that of Japan. He is enabled through this immersion to better understand the vast similarities and differences between these two distant countries.
Japanese Internment in WWII The Internment of Japanese Americans is a big part of American history, it was a terrible thing that the United states government did and caused harm to many innocent people. But, before we can judge if it was a bad thing that the government did or a good thing we must first take a in depth look at this part of history. In order to understand Japanese internment it is necessary to examine Japanese Americans’ lives before,during and after internment: what they dealt with, how it affected them, and how they moved on? Pearl Harbor is not the sole reason why we chose the Japanese Americans over German Americans for internment, they were other factors at play.
Japanese Internment Camps- Rough Draft A nice day, Feb 20, 1942 then out of nowhere 20,000 Japanese Americans kicked out of there homes into horror camps, Internment Camps. At the time Japanese Internment camps where a good idea.
My most recent assignment was with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment stationed in Vilseck, Germany. I served five years at that duty location, but in reality, only lived in Germany half that time due to my combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. My wife spent the entire time in Germany, half of which she was alone while I was deployed. Before my enlistment, I was an uneducated software developer.
As I was driving to my grandmother’s home in Mexico, I saw a homeless person walking barefoot in the summer heat. The poor man was hopping his way around the street, trying not to get blisters on his feet. Seeing this person that was down on his luck, put my life in perspective. I was in an air-conditioned car with shoes and adequate clothing, while this person had ripped clothes and no shoes. I made my mother pull over and I reached into my suitcase and reached for an old pair of sneakers.
Japanese-American Relocation in the U.S. During World War II During World War II, many Japanese Americans were relocated by the orders of President Roosevelt. The launch of this war was due to the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941 as the national security was feared mainly on the west coast. The order was made to relocate all persons inland, citizens and noncitizens, who are part of a Japanese descent, mainly to prevent any infiltration and protection from those Americans who would want to take anger out on the Japanese. Since this order, 117,000 Japanese- Americans were affected, and about 66% were native-born citizens to the U.S.
Building up to the mid 1940s, Japan’s resentment towards western civilizations grew in response to their forced trade relationships. After militarily taking over parts of China, Japan decided to strike the United States before they could respond to Japan’s belligerence. With the attack of Pearl Harbor, Japan pushed the United States to officially join the Second World War. Fear from the attack towards the Japanese and existing racism lead to the internment of the Japanese citizens of North America, which led to hostile relations between those of the Japanese and the Americans. Pearl Harbor created an overwhelming fear amongst the citizens of America of the Japanese.
Heavy rain and snow caused enormous suffering.” Many did not have shoes and had to walk barefoot through
How would you feel if you were punished for something you didn’t do? This is what happened to many Japanese Americans. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the Americans lost trust with the Japanese Americans. There were many events that caused the Japanese internment camps, not just the Pearl Harbor attack. Political pressure was also a big factor.
We do not forgive easily. After World War II, our fear and resentment of Japan was strong in our hearts, as approximately 106,207 Americans were murdered and 248,316 Americans were wounded or declared missing by the hands of the Japanese. Even after the dust settled between our people, America never forgave Japan for their stubborn refusal to surrender and needless desire to drag on the war in hopes of negotiable bargains that would profit the cities of Japan. With Japanese American citizens in the heart of our country, President Roosevelt, clouded with war hysteria and racial discrimination against those with Japanese ancestry, he ordered Executive Order 9066 which resulted in the internment of Japanese American citizens. Many Americans felt that this order would protect America from Japanese espionage and attacks on our nation, but the Executive Order 9066 ushered an unjust wave of misinformation and insinuations to develop in
Lessons from the Culture Every year we see family emigrate to other countries, and they face many challenges. The stories “Sweet, Sour, and Resentful”, by Firoozeh Dumas, and from “Fish Cheeks”, by Amy Tan, share similar cultures and really interesting stories. Also, both families from the essay share several challenges that they are face when they move to the United States of America. The two families share many similarities; however, they differ in to keeping their culture, showing openness, and teaching a lesson from their culture to others.
The ideas that are often associated with World War II are usually related to the deadly warfare that occurred, Nazi Germany, and the utilization of the atomic bomb. However, one of the most overlooked and appalling events that took place throughout World War II was the internment of Japanese Americans. The first prominent event that lead to the start of internment was the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. Consequently, the bombing spurred fear among millions of Americans which would eventually lead the United States into World War II.
The world is diverse and filled with so many different types of cultures. Many are specific for a certain country or often seen worldwide. It also depends on their history. For example, Thailand is a unique country with a cultured filled history. They can be compared and contrasted with other cultures, for example,the U.S. culture.
When you get to America some people already think of you as less so it is difficult to obtain a good job or even just natural adaption. It can be hard to flee your country and have to learn a whole new culture as seen by how upset Baba gets in the convenience store. “Almost two years we've bought his damn fruit and put money in his pocket and the son of a dog wants to see my license!” (127). Babe and Amir are used to walking into a store with a stick and the owner carves indentation into the stick to indicate how much Baba owed him.
Culture Shock-One of Common Problems in Intercultural Communication. Cross-Cultural Communication, 11(8), 71-74. INTRODUCTION Do you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Are you like many young people who leave home to study in another country thinking you will have lots of fun?