I got stuck in the bathroom!"
It was a startling utterance from my friend, a fellow Korean exchange student at Michigan State University. However, my bewilderment soon turned to hilarity as she described what had happened.
After using the bathroom in MSU's Main Library, she flushed the toilet, washed her hands and walked to the door. The door had no knob, so she pushed it - first gently and then forcefully.
But it would not budge.
While grumbling with irritation, something caught her attention - a ventilation window at the bottom of the door. She squatted down, squeezed her fingers into the narrow spaces between the window's bars and with all her strength, wrestled the door ajar.
Then, just as she stepped out of the bathroom, another door across from her opened - of course, it was the proper exit door - and a woman casually came out of the same bathroom. She glanced at my friend with mild surprise before walking away.
I laughed, but then I realized that I'd never seen a two-door bathroom before coming to the United States. In fact, my friend's perplexity is part of my daily experience.
During my first couple of weeks in the United States, not a single day passed without having to endure a series of misadventures.
I was frightened when I got on the bus for the first time after realizing there was no bell to ring to request a stop. I hoped and prayed somebody would get off at my destination, not knowing I could simply pull a string by the window.
Then there were the culture shocks related to people.
I am still frequently surprised to see Americans whom I have never met before smile at me and even ask, "How are you?"
In Korea, we never smile at strangers - only at friends, family members or close colleagues. Smile randomly in Korea and people might think that you are mentally ill. Seriously.
Over time, my frustration grew, as did my feeling of being cut off and alone. But one day, as I was passing by the library bathroom, I recalled my friend's story. And staring at the two different doors in front of me, I realized something.
Some of my prejudices and perceptions were blinding me to other ways out of my cultural isolation. I was hurting myself and becoming bitter because I was only doing things my way. Yet invariably, my way of approaching people and situations did not work in my new culture. It was time to adopt an American point of view.
Now when I get stuck in certain situations, I'm patient and hopeful, not paralyzed and angry. I know there is usually more than one door. And often the door that's most difficult to see leads me to a different and more rewarding relationship with my temporary home - America.

Nobody enjoys emotional shocks. Culture shock is not a pleasant, enjoyable experience at all. However, it is through culture shock that we recognize the presence of others and the true meaning of diversity.

Culture shock is not fundamentally different from other struggles we experience in our relationships (e.g., between men and women) though it is magnified to a great degree in everyway. After all, it is a clash and a conflict between ‘me’ and others. Coping with culture shock is all about learning to accept others, to view things in a different light and to transform our mind.

You can never learn these if you stay within your own cultural boundary. However, Handong students do not need to go further than the campus to have cultural experiences because Handong campus is a place of great diversity.

I encourage Handong students to look for opportunities to interact with international students. Learn the way international students express themselves and also learn how to express your personality in the way they understand you. You might get perplexed and shock. But remember that there is usually more than one door.