First, I want to admit that I am ignorant about many things, especially those concerning America or the West in general. As difficult as my ego makes this to admit, I actually did experience culture shock when I became an international student, even if I considered myself culturally versed before coming here.
I could write a book about the small things I have noticed that are different from home and surprised me or still surprise me, but one example stands out in particular: Halloween.
Note that we don’t celebrate Halloween in Zimbabwe and my original thoughts of the holiday were that it is this pagan holiday where you celebrate witchcraft, wizardry, and the dead. I come from a society where beliefs on magic are very different, so I had to learn to adapt and have fun with the rest of Duke on Halloween.
I’m still adjusting to life here in America, but workshops provided by the International House make that adjustment much more comfortable. Suddenly seeing someone dressed up as a hamburger isn’t so much confusing as it is amusing.
FYI- I dressed up as Dumbledore this Halloween.
