When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer?
Support your answer with specific details.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
One of the most underestimated challenge in migrating to other country is adapting to the rituals of other culture. Many people do not realize the importance of cultural differences until they encounter any hard choices, which impacts the lifestyle of them and their family members. customs of any place are of utter importance and people cannot completely avoid them easily. Some people may comfortably adopt the customs of new country while other feel it very difficult to adjust with them, but in my opinion, a balanced approach the best way to survive in any nation.
There is a famous saying that ‘When you are in Rome, do as Romans do”. Many people believe in this philosophy and feel no hesitation in adopting the culture of host country. For instance. Liquor is forbidden in the religion of Islam, but it is widely consumed in the social gatherings of western countries. Some of the people coming from South Asian or Arab countries may have problem with that, but most of them do not hesitate to drink them once they have moved to western countries. They believe that inability to drink it makes them socially outcast and they cannot mingle with locals without loosening up over the drink. Hence, it is necessary for them if they want to progress socially and professionally.
On the other hand, a lot of Asians and Arabs never involve in activities conflicting with the religious values, practiced strictly in their hometowns. Rather, they setup a protection mechanism for themselves and their kids to avoid adopting such habits. For example, they arrange meetups of local like-minded people regularly to save their families from isolation and promote socialization with the right people. This enables them to develop a cosmos of their own, where they can live like their hometown.
However, I believe, a balanced approach is the best option to prosper in such circumstances. We should follow the local customs as long as they are not conflicting with one’s religious values. It is not necessary to meet locals in bars, one can socialize with them in sports clubs, fitness clubs or educational institutions. Therefore an opportunity is always there for whoever tries to identify it.
In brief, I would like to modify the famous Roman quotation as “ When you are Rome, do as Romans do, as long as it is not conflicting with your religious values”. We should compromise on all other customs to accommodate cultural differences except religion, which will be unacceptable by our God and loved ones.