I hate thinking of a title

When encountering a culture shock, many of us tend to recoil from our surroundings and built a cocoon of familiarity and comfort among our fellow expats. We build up walls, and threw rocks at others from our comfort zone, calling people racist or anti-Malaysian and such. A normal, acceptable reaction, I guess.

But I didn't. The more I experience this cultural alienation, the more I reflect on how I myself have been practicing this very form of discrimination towards the Others subconsciously. Although I didn't go as far as to purposely persecute or scoff at people who doesn't share a similar cultural background as mine, I do identify a gross deficit in my empathy towards these people. It's sad how you never realize you have mistreated others until you find yourself slighted.

While I was never the subject of racial discrimination, I have felt the perception as the Other often during my runs from my superiors. But I've accepted it as a perfectly reasonable human behaviour now, for I can't deny that I am the Other in relative to the local kiwis. I just hope my knowledge and proficiency is enough to sustain me thru med school without me having to constantly prove my worth thru excessive vocalization of my 'enthusiasm'.