Metaphors, Culture and Symbols

Cultural nuances in language and symbols

Culture Metaphors Symbols

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My cultural awareness journey started after I immigrated to America here a few decades back. After a first month of awe and wonder, culture shock set in. I felt isolated in a country where I had no friends, relatives, social contacts or support system. I grew up speaking English, yet couldn’t understand cultural and historical references, symbols or metaphors and idioms in daily use.

World map representing American culture as a melting pot

An immigrant in America

There seemed to be many insurmountable language and culture barriers to overcome. Loneliness was one of them. At the time, the internet was very immature and the world of social media as we know it today did not exist. I couldn’t relate to American soap operas, movies or books. Unaccustomed to the driving rules and with limited public transportation, I wasn’t independently able to go out of the house.

I had given up my high paying job at a premier organization in India to join my husband on a dependent visa. Fortunately, I was able to secure a work permit fairly soon. However, with the country in a recession, my professional degree and experience back in India seemed of little relevance as I searched for a job. I was desperate for social interaction and took up a temporary job where the pay was slightly more than minimum wage. Despite changing two buses as part of my commute, I was ecstatic.

Little by little, my life changed. I took out loans, bought a car and pursued a higher degree . I was also able to secure a job in the field of my professional training. Since I had grown up speaking fluent English , that was one less barrier to overcome. However, I was still overwhelmed by the American accent, idioms and metaphors.

I remember feeling lost in my first job when my director asked to “be grandfathered into” an old rule at work. I pulled my co-worker aside and asked him how I could meet the grandfather . My co-worker burst into laughter as he realized I was interpreting the phrase literally.

My Questions on Cultural Integration

A lot of questions about cultural integration bothered me during the initial years. What did it take to assimilate in America? Was it home ownership, the ability to speak English well and citizenship ? Or was it the erasing of differences between immigrants such as myself and natives over time? Did I have to give up all aspects of my own cultural heritage and adopt all attributes of The American Identity?

I didn’t have answers. Also, it didn’t help that my social network mostly revolved around people from similar cultures and backgrounds. This prolonged the integration process. Since those initial days, my American cultural awareness and competency has grown by leaps and bounds . This sparked my interest in understanding other cultures and relating to their similarities and differences. It is difficult to define culture – I believe it is made up of traditions, nuances, language and social etiquette.

Why I Created this Website

Based on my perspective and experience, this website gives a primer into cultural and linguistic nuances on various topics. There are obviously many references to American and Indian culture and symbols as one is my adopted country and the other is my country of birth. But I have also tried to provide references from other cultures as much as I can.

The website is directed to anyone who has an interest in diversity and culture. If you truly value cross cultural exchanges, then please read on and enjoy. Too many times, I have seen immigrants hit a glass ceiling in their careers because they couldn’t integrate culturally. Or they live in a bubble socially because they never gained cultural competency in the country they live in.

Please read on and enjoy. This is my small way of trying to make a meaningful difference in other’s lives.

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