Integrating Into A New Culture or Workplace

Date Posted: 01/27/2017

Masaya, exciting, at syempre may halong takot din ang manirahan sa ibang bansa. You might not know anyone, or anything about the place you are moving to. Mas mahirap din if you do not speak the language used in the place you are moving to. Ngunit huwag mabahala at may pag-asa! In our hearts, all people are very social creatures and we like to explore new things, peoples, and cultures! When moving to a new place and culture, people often feel that they won’t be able to mingle or be accepted, here are a few tips to become a real member of a community!

Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes!
The worst thing you can do when entering a new community abroad is to be afraid to make mistakes! Walang perfect at di masamang magkamali. You don’t know all of the little ins-and-outs of this new place you are in and people will understand that. Try new things, get moving and make mistakes. You will learn from them and figure out your new community at sabi nga nila, experience is the best teacher!

Talk, Talk, Talk
Say hello or kamusta to people, your co-workers, bosses, local store employees. To join into a community, the key is to communicate. To become an accepted member of a community you need to learn what is and is not appropriate to talk about, as well as how to behave. Sa pakikipagusap at pagobserba sa mga taong nakakasama mo,  you will learn appropriate ways to talk to them. Another part of talking is small talk, discussing everyday things that aren’t really important but are interesting. Small talk is a great way to learn about people!

Try Things Out!
In every city there are little communities interested in many things, cars, comics, fashion, etc. To best integrate into a new community be sure to take part in events and groups. Kung mayroon kang hilig or hobby, join a club that focuses on that activity such as a gym, or a book club. Many workplaces even have sports get-togethers, so join in. Kung madami kang free time, maari ka din mag-attend ng community activities as this is also a great way to get to know a new culture and people. There are always many things to do in a community that can be found with just a few Google searches. Attending such events will get you talking to new people and becoming a member of the community.

But I Can’t Find Anything To Do!!!
Sometimes clubs or events in your new community won’t have a website and you’ll have to find out what goes on in another way. Sa panahon ngayon, halos lahat ng bagay ay makikita sa internet lalo na sa Facebook, you can start to search for your city, madalas may mga posts na diyan ng ibang kapwa Filipinos working in your country that will help you a lot.  Next, while at work, a grocery store, or coffee shop look for billboards where people post notices and flyers. These are great ways to find new things to try.

Share!
Not only are you integrating and learning from your new community, but as a member of an exciting new multicultural community, you can teach people new things as well. Multiculturalism is when a bunch of people from many cultures live together so they can learn from each other. Jazz and Blues music was invented this way! Feel free to discuss with people about your homeland, your customs, and ways of life. Often a good place to start is food! Everyone loves food and it is a simple way to get people talking, ipatikim mo ang masarap na luto ng Pinoy like adobo, sinigang, kare-kare at marami pang iba!

Be Understanding
If you are a part of a minority group within a new community, you may notice that people do not understand much about your culture and customs. Unfortunately, you might run into people who say something offensive because they do not understand something. Just like you don’t understand certain appropriate behaviours in their community, they won’t understand yours either. That’s okay, simply explain at normal lang ito May mga bagay na hindi madali intindihin at may mga taong mahirap din i-please but by continuing to talk and share with them they will.

Joining a new community abroad ay hindi madali and it involves many different components and takes time. No one fully integrates into a community over night. Start with a simple hello, and work your way up from there. People all over the world want to learn new things and you represent that in a new community. You bring something that no one else has by entering a community from a different culture. Now, go out and say hello, kamusta!