Originally Posted by
Dalinos
Multicultural friends eh...
Here goes, then: I'm a Greek, so, naturally, all my friends are Greeks, Russians, Albanians, Bulgarians, Polish, half-halfs (ie: 1 Greek parent, 1 Non-Greek parent). This, is what I call my "Neighbourhood" friends, meaning friends I made from hanging out in the streets of my neighbourhood, playing Catch, Hide & Seek, cycling around and kicking a ball pretending to play Football.
However, having gone through private English schooling, I got the chance to meet and befriend: Koreans, Japanese, -ALL- Scandinavians (Finnish/Norwegian/Swedish/Danish - if Denmark classifies as Scandinavian country), Arabs from all parts of the Arab world, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and of course practically all European people too, including French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch and of course, pure hardcore Brits (duh, considering my school was purely British and following the British system of education by the book).
All in all, I must say that this situation of growing up with more than 10 different cultures around me was a very positive experience.
I learned how to act in a traditional Korean home, eating with chopsticks by the age of 7 (my best school-friend at the time was the Korean dude).
I learned how to drink Beer like a German, having spent time with German classmates.
I learned A FUCKLOAD about the Arabic culture, including its religion, its philosophy, its beliefs and its standards, having 3 Arab classmates throughout school.
All this stuff going on made me learn from an early age that you have to be objective when you try to judge someone, and that you should never judge someone from their looks/habits, without having talked to them at least once. It allowed me to be open-minded, accepting and embracing new concepts and beliefs from across the globe, instead of being narrow-minded. However, I didn't lose my sense of nationalism, and I love my country/nationality above anything else - this does NOT mean though that I cannot understand and relate to the achievements or problems of other cultures around the world.
Bottom line? It's good to have a multi-cultural experience, whether it be friends, school, or working environment. It helps us progress the Human Race as a whole, in my eyes.