Being an NYU Shanghai student is a really cool thing. Words often fail me when I try to describe my life in NYU Shanghai, which I share with friends from all over the world, who come from various origins, backgrounds and life experiences. Every day is new, and every day I gratefully embrace new cultures and knowledge. However, each individual’s journey through life is totally different, which leads not only to interesting stories but also many inevitable puzzles. These stories and puzzles drove me to start interviewing friends around me and reflecting on my own life, and I found that those initially confusing feelings and experiences can actually be precious treasures. If treated as a chance to learn from one another, they can serve as strong bonds between people despite culture, language, and living differences. I remember one day in particular, when I witnessed a guy near me throwing his slippers and sneakers into the washing machine. He seemed not to understand the shock on my face. Later, I learned that in many places, people use washing machines to clean almost anything (within reason), which is quite different from the way I, as a Chinese, have learned to use a washing machine. That was when I realized how eye-opening it is to live with people who have different habits. But certainly, we cannot bear grudges against one another just because of cultural differences. A friend recently told me that every time he woke up in the morning, he found his roommate sitting on the bed, meditating. For a while, he remained silently confused, but finally decided to ask his roommate why he was meditating. His roommate showed him a book about Buddhism, and he began to understand. This marked the beginning of a closer relationship for the two, and from then on they started to know, understand, and communicate with each other better. Similarly, you might have some trouble with your roommates if you have quite different biological clocks. For instance, you may find that your cute roommate seems to be nocturnal, rather than diurnal (like you), which means you may not able to see your dear roommates more than once in a day. However, this can mean that time spent with roommates will become more meaningful. Sometimes there is not just a culture barrier, but a language barrier a well. One chilly morning, a different friend was studying while sitting on the stairs, since she woke up early but didn’t want to bother her roommates. The staircase was cold to sit on, and unfortunately she had caught a cold at at the time. While she was studying, a late middle-aged man, a Chinese worker who fixes lights on ceilings, approached her. To her surprise, he started saying something in Chinese to her. She could only speak English and knew little about Chinese, but she understood what he was saying through his gesticulation. He seemed to suggest that she put on a cozy sweater and sit somewhere warmer, instead of the cold staircase. With no association with my friend, and with an obvious language barrier, that man could have just passed by and said nothing. But instead, he took the trouble to care about her. Though differences in culture and language backgrounds add difficulty in communications, we cannot let them be the barrier of caring and concerning towards each other. The stories above are just some of the sparkles of life in the NYU Shanghai community. These small details look ordinary, but are actually the threshold of a treasury, one that holds many riches that are worth reflecting on and exploring. I hope they are inspirational and thought-provoking. Creating meaningful intercultural friendships requires effort, empathy, and understanding from all of us. It can even help us become better people ourselves, as we contemplate our new experiences and new friends. This article was written by Kaijie Wang. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Naomi Losman