The Beauty of Cultural Awareness

People interpret, evaluate, and react in different ways when their beliefs are challenged in a new country. Our individual ability to increase our cultural awareness, or cultural sensitivity, comes from a willingness to learn from others that see the world differently based on their experiences.

When travelers and the general public embrace other cultures, we increase our cultural awareness because we assume a level of respect for one another before we judge or stereotype. 

Here’s how we can see beyond ourselves and undertand why it’s important to take time to step back to embrace the journey of understanding cultural awareness through different cultures:

A Malaysian Chinese and American friendship.
My friend (left) and me (right) received questioning looks from strangers because we were friends, belonging to different cultural backgrounds.

Breaking down barriers

As an international student overseas for ten months, I had my fair share of culture shock. Many times, there were situations where I felt overwhelmed and even anxious. I remember times in the classroom when I felt misunderstood by my peers, due to different backgrounds and upbringings.

There were moments that my roommates and I couldn’t communicate properly due to a language barrier. Other times, I would be on the metro with other international students and sometimes we felt that the locals looked down on us based our nationalities. 

Do you ever feel the presence of judging eyes in public places? How do we discern reality and perception? On one hand, judgement can just be in our heads, but on the other hand, it can be very real. 

It can be difficult going through the rollercoaster that comes with culture shock, but acknowledging the diversity that comes with travel is what helped me overcome those obstacles.   

Seeing differences as a positive can have their own challenges when they strike against our personal beliefs. However, we can’t learn from each other if we don’t try to reconcile what makes our backgrounds unique. We can’t grow if we don’t respect the diverse populations living in the same community.

Culture not only applies to a country’s belief system, but also encompasses shared norms. Though we may never learn everything about every culture, we can do our best as travelers to approach other cultures with curiosity and observant minds.

View the world through its diversity 

As travelers immerse themselves into the world with an open heart and a positive attitudes, they give themselves the opportunity to learn a foreign language and communicate with locals, visit cultural sites, and try traditional cuisine.

After all, the beauty of life is often captured as we compare and contrast the unique differences between what we’ve learned and what we’re observing in another context. 

Diversity broadens travelers’ horizons and teaches other valuable ways of life, in order to break down cultural barriers and build bridges. Travelers learn to appreciate, accept, and tolerate other nations and communities for who they are, because respecting one another is really a way of building up awareness. Though the world is diverse and differences are common, we are all human, and we all have similarities that make us connected. 

Travel shapes understanding  

Travel creates a key aspect of cultural awareness that gives a greater sense of our own culture through the lens of another. When someone experiences tolerance and acceptance from visiting other areas in the world, there is a level of compromise and growth from learning about other cultures.

In turn, we also gain insight about ourselves by reflecting on aspects of our own culture we may have previously overlooked. Going abroad is about exploring different perspectives and seeing firsthand how other cultures solve problems, or try to resolve issues. 

How can someone really understand how another might view life if they don’t take the time to go see for themselves?

Recognize and Celebrate

Humans tend to be conditioned to believe that the way they do things is the only way, or the right way, but that shifts as we go abroad and experience new ideas.

Being culturally aware and opening ourselves up to experiences allows us to return home with a deeper cognizance of another culture.  

In the end, we do our best to understand and be aware of how we represent our home country, such as being mindful of our gestures as well as our words. 

As travelers and global citizens, we continue to learn and grow. It’s not our duty to know all cultural differences, but it’s our responsibility to be sensitive to them as we learn.

The first step to a successful journey abroad is making sure that we remain courteous. When we take it upon ourselves to demonstrate a level of politeness in our host country, we open up opportunities for positive communication and interaction.

Check out our past blog, Four Ways Traveling Can Improve Wellness, for more insight on how traveling can shape our mindsets!