New Cultural Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

New Cultural Experience - Essay Example India is a democratic and secular country. It is the second most populous country in the world and people of several religions live there. India is a Hindu majority country, and Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jain, are minority in this country. I have had a worthwhile experience of staying in India and take part in the rich cultural heritage of the country. Overview of experience A short or long stay in a foreign country in the midst of a new culture might be exhilarating and personally rewarding. Personally, I feel that this experience is highly intellectually stimulating. According to my opinion, a stay in a foreign country is not free of undesirable experiences. However, both pleasant and awkward incidents together make the experience intellectually stimulating. A person learns to accept new things and adapt into new circumstances. In this section I shall explain my experience as a minority in India. Types of experience vary according to the period of time spent in the cou ntry and the level of adaptability of the visitor (UNESCO, 2003). Visiting a country as a part of foreign trip implies a short stay, mainly for the purpose of visiting different sites and shopping. However, I have stayed in India for a period of five years for the purpose of making an in depth study of the Hindu religion. ... Participation in cultural activities Traditional dinner I personally prefer taking part in the activities of the country that I visit. Therefore, I made a prior research about the traditional activities, festivals and games that are popular in India. I had stayed in the house of a Hindu family in Kolkata. The family is well known as a well to do family in the city. They are quite modern and have liberal views about the world. Yet, I noticed on the first dinner with the family that the members dearly hold certain traditional norms. Some of these norms are very similar to the Catholic norms, while others were unknown to me before I visited India. During my stay I took part in a traditional dinner with my host family at their ancestral home in Kolkata. It was the annual meeting of all the members of the family. There were specific Bengali dishes that are favored by the Bengalis. Among other food, fish was one of the main ingredients. There were various preparations of fish, starting fro m fry, to curry to even a sweet preparation called ‘chutney’. Bengalis consider fish as a part of their traditional diet. I did not have a taste for fish before I ate Bengali food. Initially, I faced problems with fish since it has a typically strong smell. But, very soon I adapted with the culture of having fish in the main course in both lunch and dinner. Analysis During my stay I have mixed with the people of the country with the desire of in-taking a rich essence of their culture, faith, religion, environmental concern, food habits, sports and other activities. Went new to a country, it seems confusing to identify these norms or follow them as an outsider. However, the key