Experience of New Cultures by an International Student in the US - Essay Example

Experience of New Cultures by an International Student in the US As an international student in the US, I must admit that my experience here has been quite amazing. Apart from the experience of new cultures, I have also been lucky to be part of a very diverse and fun-loving community. From the normal sporting and cultural events at the university, i have gained much insight and made many friends from multiple cultural backgrounds. However, none of these experiences has had a major impact on me than the XLIX Super Bowl, which was held in early January 2015. I had no close imagination of the kind of experience that I would have in the 2015 Super Bowl that was held at the University of Phoenix in Arizona. Of all the events that took place during the Super Bowl, I was more impressed by the half-time performance by one of America’s most talented musicians, Kate Perry. Although my primary objective for coming to the US was to get an education, I have actually gotten more than I expected. About a year ago, I was back home in Qatar with only vague ideas about life in America. I had heard stories from friends and other sources about how life was so amazing in America. One of my childhood friends, Hamid, who had visited the US before me painted a lovely picture of life in the US that I started feeling the burning desire to come to the US. Hamid told me about the friendly people in America, the fun, and the freedom that were limited in Qatar. Having grown up in Qatar, I found these difficult to believe. Therefore, I started pushing my parents to send me to America for my university education. Luckily, they agreed and that is how I ended up in Arizona State University exactly a year ago. The one year that I have spent in the US has been great and I have come to love the life here in the US. However, nothing had prepared me for the experience that I had at the 2015 Super Bowl. My decision to attend this year’s Super Bowl was a culmination of much planning and anticipation. Last year, I could not attend the Super Bowl because I was still new in the US and had very few friends to show me around. However, I had the opportunity to watch the sporting event on television. This was an amazing experience. I remember feeling so bad that I had missed the biggest sporting event in the US. This experience made me to make a decision that I would attend this year’s Super Bowl. The fact that the 2015 Super Bowl was going to take place in Arizona was another major reason why I vowed to attend. After all, the event was going to take place close to my University. I started talking to my friends and convincing them to join me in 2015 as we attend this amazing sporting event. Luckily, majority of them agreed and we started planning early. Therefore, on the eve of the opening of the 2015 Super Bowl, we were already prepared to join the thousands of people that would be attending. To date, I still find it difficult to explain the feeling I had when I entered the stadium at the University of Phoenix during the opening of the Super Bowl. I sat in the middle of the crow of fans that had come to experience this amazing sporting event. The experience is unprecedented. I had never seen so many people gathered in one place and having so much fun. What was more interesting to me was the diversity of the people that had gathered at the stadium. I saw Caucasians, black people, Indians, Arabs, men, and women around me. Actually, I felt like I was not a foreigner in America because of this diversity. Everywhere I looked, I saw people jumping, shouting, dancing, drinking, and having all sorts of fun. The jumping and dancing made people sweat such that you could smell sweat from a distance. However, the action was so interesting that the smell of sweat was not a major distraction. At some point, I could not differentiate my friends from the crowd. The energy in the crowd was amazing. It was like the crows had been taken over by an extra ordinary spell. Even without having any prior contact with most people, I found myself joining the crowd in shouting and cheering the teams that were playing. My support was behind Seattle Seahawks, which I had come to love from watching their amazing games. Although Seattle Seahawks did not carry the day, I felt that they had played well and given their best. The crowd seemed divided between the supporters of the two main teams including Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. All around me, supporters of Seattle Seahawks were so loud in cheering their team. On the opposite side, the supporters of New England Patriots were also cheering their team on. However, the noise from the Seattle Seahawks fans was so loud that I could hardly hear that New England Patriots. Aside from the games and the amazing crowd, my most amazing experience in the Super Bowl was the performance by Kate Perry during the half time. The performance lasted for about 15 minutes. During this short period, my whole attention was fixated to the amazing performance at the center of the arena. I had not known Kate Perry so well prior to the performance. However, I had come to know her from listening to some of her popular songs including Wide Awake, I Kissed a Girl, Hot n Cold, and This is How We Do among others. The fact that I was actually seeing her perform her songs live was so unique. Kate Perry’s performance was electric in several ways. The stage performance was so amazing. Together with her group of performers, Kate Perry swayed the crowd from beginning to end. She controlled the stage with her amazing moves that were well choreographed and synchronized with the entire performing group. As if to enhance her electrifying performance, the stage graphics were nothing like I had ever seen before. For the 15 minute period, the stage and the entire arena seemed out of this world. At some point, the stage appeared like an extra-terrestrial body comprising of multiple bright colors. The performers appeared like terrestrial beings as well thanks to their extra-ordinary costumes and the graphics. All these factors worked together to create an experience that is hard to forget. Over two months since the Super Bowl ended, I still have vivid memories of the experience like it was only yesterday. Of all the amazing things that transpired during the performance, one stood out. Kate Perry performed her popular song “Roar” while riding on a giant lion robot that moved across the stage. The lion robot was golden in color and reflected multiple colors. This performance was so amazing that the crowd went wild when she appeared standing on the back of the lion. People were literally stepping on each other as they tried to catch a clear view of the performance. Some fans were carrying each other on their shoulders just to get a good glimpse of Kate Perry. Everyone was standing. The short people had difficulties seeing the stage and struggled so much. One of my friends, Jim, who is short, actually jumped on my shoulder to watch the performance. He shook so much forgetting that he was actually sitting on someone. Personally, I was so carried away by the performance that I can hardly remember what I was doing at the time. Having stayed in America for one year now, the 2015 Super Bowl epitomizes my experience here. The experience is one that I will cherish forever. Already, I cannot wait for the 2016 Super Bowl, which I am committed to attending. I believe that the next Super Bowl will come with more amazing experiences than the 2015 event. Read More