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Multiculturalism & Immigration

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Multiculturalism and Immigration
Multiculturalism is a long and fancy-sounding word, often mistaken for its true meaning. Some define it as equality between all cultures, others say it is the combination of all cultures that creates new hybrid ones. Whatever the dictionary says, the true meaning of the word is its actual application in the real world. We all, including my group, have different approaches and views toward multiculturalism, but I personally relate it mostly to immigration. Immigration is a founding stone of multiculturalism and although there are strong arguments against it, in my eyes, it is important for the country and its diversification.
Every year my friends and I come to school a week earlier for the international orientation week. It is an event I usually look forward to way in advance. It is an exciting moment when the new class of international students set foot in Ramapo College for the first time. The people are of different ages and background. They come from exotic places like Burma, Italy, Nepal, Bulgaria and many more. Most of them have never been to the States before and the change they are going through is quite tough. Communication with them is not always easy. They come from different cultures, have different understandings of life and different ideas about what is wrong and what is right.
The communication with foreigners largely depends on their proficiency in English. Many students struggle with their accents and do not feel comfortable speaking. The level of proficiency in English really depends on what country one is coming from and how good the school system in that country is. As some of the students say, “many people think it is funny and cute that we have accents, others tend to look down on us because of the way we speak and the fact that we are not always able to find the right words to express what we think”

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