Have you heard an old saying “The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence”? It means other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. “Let’s go to KFC for dinner and then watch some Japanese cartoons!” We all know it: more and more Chinese kids love American and Japanese food and movies. Some people worry that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring（忽视）Chinese culture and, instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating western holidays.

Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that Spring Festival has, and the West has nothing to compare with the Mid-Autumn Festival. China has lots of cool things in its culture: calligraphy, Beijing Opera, quick meals on the streets, and even Jay Chou! And let’s not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.

It’s good to enjoy other cultures and learn from them, but they can never replace your own culture. It’s good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn’t always greener.

Although some people become worried about that, I don’t think they should. Will we get more powerful without learning from other countries? Will Chinese people live more happily without American fast food? Besides, it’s fun to learn about different cultures. Chinese kids can learn about other cultures and have fun, but they also need to learn more about their own culture. Be proud of Chinese culture and of being Chinese!

Living in a foreign country probably sounds exciting and romantic to you. Just imagine the noises from the local market or the smell of strange flowers when you leave the house in the morning. But this doesn't mean that life abroad is easy. When people set foot in a foreign land，they tend to keep to what is familiar. Becoming a part of the local culture can be the hardest part of life abroad．

However, in order to get the most of their life abroad, people need to break out of their comfortable routines and explore. The moment you let go of false ideas and stereotypes, you are ready to take your first major step. And more often than not, living in a foreign country can be a truly life-changing experience．

Even for experienced travellers, it is not as easy as it seems to get used to life abroad. Making the transition from living like a visiting holidaymaker to living like a local takes time. Culture shock is part of living abroad and hits everyone eventually. The key is not to let it get the better of you．You have to accept that things are not the same as they are at home and，until you get to that point, try to respectful, patient and humble．

Another problem is that the charm of a foreign life could wear off as time passes by. For most people, a foreign culture appears strange and exciting at first. After all, the main reason for moving broad is of ten the wish to explore foreign cultures. However, after living in a foreign country for a while, little things that you once thought were charming begin to annoy you. You remember how everything ran on schedule back home, how beautiful your hometown was and how much more relaxed and friendly everyone seemed to be.

So, you'd better understand issues with the local food, or problems with adjusting to the pace of life as you live abroad someday in the future.

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Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.

Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -like the UK or France -people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.

Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.

Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.

People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment (多元文化环境)will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.