"I've been to the United States so many times, I practically live there."

"I'm Canadian, so I don't expect any adjustment problem in New York."

"My parents and I have lived in four different countries, I'm sure I can handle the U.S."

"I've been reading lots of U.S. magazines and watching lots of U.S. movies, I'm confident I'll make it there."

These quotes from other international students may sound familiar. In this age of globalization, it may be tempting to believe one can learn much of what there is to know about another country without going there. This is especially true with a high-visibility country like the United States, which dominates and influences the mass media all over the world. In reality, of course, living in another country takes on many more nuances and dimensions than one might anticipate, no matter how well one prepares for it. Even if you visited the U.S. before as a tourist, you are likely to feel different now that you will be here for several months or years as an NYU student. You will be immersing in the U.S. culture in a way you likely haven't before.

What is culture? There are as many definitions for culture as there are cultures. A common one is all things a group of people have learned to do, value, and enjoy in their history. A visual image often used when discussing culture is the iceberg. The iceberg demonstrates that what we commonly call culture, such as music, food, and educational systems, is only the visible tip or 10% of the iceberg. Underneath the water is the other 90% of the iceberg or culture, which includes items such as nonverbal language, beliefs, and values of what is good and bad.

Because so much of culture is "unseen" and because the way things work in our own culture feel normal, routine, or intuitive, there may be a challenge when a person from one culture encounters someone from another. This is especially true when one person is immersed into another culture for a significant period of time, which is the case of a foreign student in the U.S.

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