International Students

I love how international this program is.  I love meeting all the American students with their different American accents, slang, and mannerisms.  I love watching the ways the South Americans greet each other.  I love hearing French, Portuguese, and Danish flying around the halls at school. 

I think my favourite new slang is the greeting “s’up”.  As you probably all know, it’s a shortening of the phrase “what’s up?” which can then be translated anywhere from “How are you” to “I see you but I don’t really want to have a whole conversation with you right now”.  My brother says “s’up” to me all the time, but he says it ironically, so the first time someone said “s’up” to me here, I nearly fell over; I had never heard it used in everyday conversation before.  I thought my brother pulled it from some tv or internet thing and I didn’t know people actually said it.  (I realize this says something about how sheltered my life is perched at the far western edge of North America.)

I have a personal space bubble (perhaps it’s a Canadian thing?), but when I hang out with my friends from Brazil and Mexico, my bubble collapses.  They rub shoulders standing closer together than I ever would, lean across each other, and give random high fives.  The lack of space is very weird for me and I constantly have to watch myself so I don’t edge away.  I have given more high fives in the last couple weeks than I have since I was about five years old.  Every time I see one of these guys they want to give me a high five.  I truly don’t understand it; what is so compelling about hands touching?  Guy, girl, it doesn’t seem to matter.  No se.  I don’t know if this is a type of modified more “modern” handshake that is common in South America, or if they do it because they think this is how Americans greet each other.  

This same group of people is a lot warmer and friendlier than I am used to among my peers in Canada.  Whenever I sit alone at breakfast someone always wanders over and asks why I’m sitting alone.  I think they think I’m weird.  I think I’m shy.  Maybe I have that famous reserve for which Canadians are infamous. Today I was talking with saxophone player from Toronto and he has noticed the same lack of reserve here that I am.  We both think its strange and nicely refreshing to be in a world where strangers notice us.  I think I like how friendly people are here, although it still takes me by surprise.

I also have made some friends from Europe and they bring their own culture to the Five Week Program.  First of all, they mostly have the nicest clothes (naturally).  But my favourite cultural difference is the greeting—the kiss/cheek touch.  I love it and I’ve even been included in that greeting ritual.  Do I have honorary Italian status because I room with one?  Also, and I think I like this even better than “s’up”, is the hat tip.  Now twice I’ve seen friends tip their hat to me in passing.  It makes me giggle. 

I am still, in my third week here, surprised by all the culture differences.  These observations and surprises are ongoing, some happened today.  I think I get lulled into a fall sense of the mundane because I hear English around me, but then I have another conversation with my peers.  Being here is like simultaneously traveling in multiple countries at once and having global culture shock.  I love it.