{"id":11,"date":"2024-08-12T19:30:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T18:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/beyond-comfort\/?p=11"},"modified":"2024-08-18T00:42:51","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T23:42:51","slug":"overcoming-the-comfort-of-clustering-blending-into-a-new-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/beyond-comfort\/2024\/08\/12\/overcoming-the-comfort-of-clustering-blending-into-a-new-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Overcoming social clustering: Integrating into new environments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In today’s booming economy, countless people with dreams choose to leave their familiar and comfortable hometowns and go to other places to study or work for better development. As Google Trends<\/a> shows, searches for “Work Away from Home<\/a>” and “International Student<\/a>” have continued to rise over the past few years, and the trend is becoming more popular.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Data from Google Trends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, upon first arriving in a new country, the unfamiliarity of everything around can easily make people feel confused and uneasy. Therefore, people instinctively tend to find partners of the same nationality as themselves, hoping to get a little warmth in each other’s company, which naturally forms a social phenomenon: “social clustering”, which is particularly common in the circle of Chinese international students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jiayi He, a Chinese student from the University of Bristol<\/a>, said: “When I first arrived here, I felt more comfortable playing with people who spoke the same language as me and didn’t have to adapt to other people’s habits.” She spends almost all of her spare time with her Chinese classmates and rarely interacts with local students, which makes her feel more relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jiayi travels in Switzerland with friends (with Jiayi’s permission)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Later, Jiayi realized that most of her study abroad is over, but she knows little about the local culture. Reflecting on the reasons, she believes that the language barrier is an important factor that cannot be ignored. “Despite the language training, most international students may still face problems such as poor expression and difficulty in understanding in actual communication. Communicating with classmates from the same language background can reduce this language pressure.” She also cited cultural differences as another reason. Different countries have different cultural traditions. Without being familiar with these differences, international students are more likely to find a sense of identity and belonging in groups with similar cultural backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although “social clustering” provides security at first, many international students have realized that staying in this comfort zone is not a long-term solution. Zepeng Xiao, a Chinese student from the University of Sussex<\/a>, shared his experience of coming out of this phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When I first came here, I only dared to share life experiences with Chinese students. But I soon found that we were always in our own small circle, which is not the life I want to study abroad.” Realizing the problem, he decided to change. He started by making friends with his foreign neighbors and actively communicating with classmates from different countries. “At first I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to express myself clearly. But then I found that everyone was very friendly and willing to listen to my ideas.” By getting along with foreign friends, Zepeng not only improved his language skills, but also gained an in-depth understanding of the cultural customs of different countries.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Zepeng spends Christmas with his friends from different countries (with Zepeng’s permission)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“The point is to be bold and get involved in school clubs or volunteer projects. These are great opportunities to meet people.” ‘he said. Only by respecting cultural differences and accepting new ideas and ideas with an inclusive mind can we have a deeper understanding of other cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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