Cultural Immersion?

So... when I was getting ready to come here, my professor (Waves to my teacher) told me that this experience wasn't only going to be academic, but be cultural as well. And... all day, when we had orientation sessions, I was thinking about what he said. 

So... here's what I noticed. Firstly, there's something that a lot of our professors at MCC do... they say we are super absorbed in our phones all the time, then reminisce about their good old days before technology. Here, the professor who told us to be alert while walking for safety reasons, said that she too was guilty of being on her phone all the time. That was something that shocked me. Like... a professor admitting that is unheard of at MCC.

Next, the clothing style. So... when we think of Americans, we think of short, skimpy, or tight clothing. Yes, this is a stereotype, but it's something that I think a lot of people believe. But... when I showed up for orientation, I saw very baggy clothes. It made me feel overdressed, and I was dressed how I usually do in college, a pair of jeans and a fitted top. 

Thirdly, there are stop signs around campus, since a lot of people drive cars here, inside the campus, and outsiders come onto campus for the library and other resources. Now... back home, we don't see stop signs much, and if we do, we don't usually stop at them. Now... here, people came to a full stop at one of these signs and my jaw dropped. Like... they follow traffic rules really well. 

Fourth is the lack of honking. So, there was a hold up on the road on my way to campus. And this car was taking a long time to move. If this was Chennai, people would have been furiously honking. But here, there was nothing. It was serene. Even though everyone is in a rush to do something, there is a sense of understanding and it was so peaceful. 

So... this is what I noticed in only one day, but... I'm sure I'm going to find a lot more of these and I will be posting regularly. Stay tuned to hear more about my experiences here or just things I learnt.