9/28 (Sat.) Growing Up in Different Cultures (Host: Robert Huang)
發表於 : 週三 9月 24, 2025 10:56 pm
I thought of this topic based on random thoughts I had while living in Taiwan: What would life have been like for me if I had grown up in Taiwan instead of the United States? I considered my possible interests and the lives of my relatives—most of whom come from the countryside in Hsinchu. While my mother’s siblings stayed in Taiwan, my father’s moved to the U.S. Five out of six of my male cousins went into construction, so I probably would have pursued a similar type of physical work, like becoming a police officer. I also didn’t want to learn Chinese or piano when I was a little kid, so my English likely would have been very poor. I would run around the classroom or hide under the table!
One big thing I noticed in Taiwan is that people respect each other more, no matter what occupation they have. In the U.S., if your career is in the service industry—such as fast food workers, grocery store employees, or waiters and waitresses—many people look down on you. A common insult in the U.S. is to say someone can “only work at McDonald’s.” There are also careers in the U.S., such as insurance agents and salespeople, that have bad reputations.
In the United States, cram schools aren’t common. The ones that do exist are usually short-term programs taken a few weeks or months before undergraduate, graduate, or professional entrance exams. People will think your parents are strict if they put you into a cram school! High school students might just go home on their own when school ends at around 4 pm or join a sports team.
A video about some differences between western and eastern cultures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78haKZhEqcg
Session 1: Childhood, Family & Identity
1. What’s one of your favorite childhood memories in Taiwan, and how might your childhood memories feel different if you were raised in a Western country? What new things might you experience, and what parts of growing up in Taiwan would you miss?
2. What subjects, activities, or experiences in a Western upbringing do you think would shape you the most? (ex. school projects, sports teams, part-time jobs, volunteering, family trips, hobbies, etc.)
3. How do you think schools in Eastern and Western cultures are different overall? (ex. teaching style, classroom atmosphere, extracurricular activities, discipline, relationships with teachers, workload, etc.)
4. How do family expectations of children usually differ between East and West? (ex. grades, chores, behavior, independence, etc.)
5. Do you think your personality—like confidence, independence, the way you express opinions, your creativity, problem-solving style, leadership, teamwork, or risk-taking—would develop differently in the West?
Session 2: Adulthood, Culture & Future
1. What’s one thing about Western culture that you find interesting or surprising, and what aspect do you think would be the most difficult for you if you lived there?
2. What things about Western culture would you most look forward to or want to try? Are there any aspects you admire that Taiwan doesn’t really have?
3. How might ideas about when to leave home and live independently differ between East and West? How might this change young people’s lifestyles?
4. How could your career goals or ideas of success be influenced differently in a Western country? (ex. job opportunities, career paths, work-life balance, success in life)
5. In what ways might your choices about marriage, family, or career turn out differently in the West compared to Taiwan?
6. If you had to suddenly move away from Taiwan and live in another country (with no language problems), which country would you choose, and why? What would you want to do there?
One big thing I noticed in Taiwan is that people respect each other more, no matter what occupation they have. In the U.S., if your career is in the service industry—such as fast food workers, grocery store employees, or waiters and waitresses—many people look down on you. A common insult in the U.S. is to say someone can “only work at McDonald’s.” There are also careers in the U.S., such as insurance agents and salespeople, that have bad reputations.
In the United States, cram schools aren’t common. The ones that do exist are usually short-term programs taken a few weeks or months before undergraduate, graduate, or professional entrance exams. People will think your parents are strict if they put you into a cram school! High school students might just go home on their own when school ends at around 4 pm or join a sports team.
A video about some differences between western and eastern cultures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78haKZhEqcg
Session 1: Childhood, Family & Identity
1. What’s one of your favorite childhood memories in Taiwan, and how might your childhood memories feel different if you were raised in a Western country? What new things might you experience, and what parts of growing up in Taiwan would you miss?
2. What subjects, activities, or experiences in a Western upbringing do you think would shape you the most? (ex. school projects, sports teams, part-time jobs, volunteering, family trips, hobbies, etc.)
3. How do you think schools in Eastern and Western cultures are different overall? (ex. teaching style, classroom atmosphere, extracurricular activities, discipline, relationships with teachers, workload, etc.)
4. How do family expectations of children usually differ between East and West? (ex. grades, chores, behavior, independence, etc.)
5. Do you think your personality—like confidence, independence, the way you express opinions, your creativity, problem-solving style, leadership, teamwork, or risk-taking—would develop differently in the West?
Session 2: Adulthood, Culture & Future
1. What’s one thing about Western culture that you find interesting or surprising, and what aspect do you think would be the most difficult for you if you lived there?
2. What things about Western culture would you most look forward to or want to try? Are there any aspects you admire that Taiwan doesn’t really have?
3. How might ideas about when to leave home and live independently differ between East and West? How might this change young people’s lifestyles?
4. How could your career goals or ideas of success be influenced differently in a Western country? (ex. job opportunities, career paths, work-life balance, success in life)
5. In what ways might your choices about marriage, family, or career turn out differently in the West compared to Taiwan?
6. If you had to suddenly move away from Taiwan and live in another country (with no language problems), which country would you choose, and why? What would you want to do there?
