Ash Chinta '24 RGLP Reflection: Culture Shock

Culture shock is normally painted in a bad light, and that's understandable enough. Having moved nine thousand miles away from home to attend classes here at Dartmouth, I've definitely had my fair share of unpleasant experiences – for the first couple of weeks or so after I arrived on campus, I went to bed every night completely exhausted. It was hard getting used to college, life in America, all the new cultural circles I found myself in.

That's the scary thing about culture to me: you never really notice it until it's gone. It's in the way you walk, talk, eat, sleep – it is the air surrounding you, absolutely indispensable – and yet you're so acclimatized to it, you hardly even notice it. And that's why it's especially important for us to continue reevaluating the things that seem so natural to us.

RGLP helped us do exactly that. We were all taken out of our comfort zones on every level, from physically changing the way we carried ourselves during our capoeira session to mentally challenging our values through the stories we heard from all our speakers.

Traveling is, of course, a surefire way to experience new cultures. But this program was an effective reminder that there are so many ways for us to continue learning every day. No matter where we are, culture is all around us. We can grow with every breath.