International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR) eISSN: 2710-6276 | Vol. 4 No. 4 [December 2022]
Journal website: http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijssr
IDENTITY AND CULTURAL SHOCK OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN PALEMBANG
Rahma Santhi Zinaida1* and Siti Rahayu Pratami Lexianingrum2
1 2 Faculty of Communication, Universitas Bina Darma, Palembang, INDONESIA
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Article Information:
Article history:
Received date : 2 November 2022 Revised date : 18 December 2022 Accepted date : 27 December 2022 Published date : 29 December 2022
To cite this document:
Zinaida, R. S., &Lexianingrum, S. R. P.
(2022).IDENTITY AND CULTURAL SHOCK OF FOREIGN STUDENTS IN PALEMBANG. International Journal of Social Science Research, 4(4), 247-261.
Abstract: When they first started attending Sriwijaya University Indonesia, Indian-born Malaysian students who continued their education in Palembang have many obstacles during their adaptation process, especially the social interaction. This study concerns about these foreign students' cultural identity in interaction process with local people and the challenges they face as a result of that circumstance. This study's participants were Indian- Malaysian Sriwijaya University medical faculty students.
This research used Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) theory and the concept of culture shock.
To collecting data, this research used Observation, interviews, and documentation. The researcher was used to gather data during the foreign students’ study period in Palembang. As a result, all student informants had difficulty applying their original cultural identity when they first came to Palembang, there was a feeling of being different from the local community. besides that, the culture shock experienced had a long enough duration, around two months, and repeated times when they began to miss their hometown.
Keywords: Cultural identity, culture shock, foreign student.
1. Introduction
Pluralism is a reality that occurs in human life in Indonesia. Especially in this era of globalization, social life in Indonesia, intercultural encounters are something that is almost unavoidable. The large number of foreigners arriving in Indonesia makes Indonesia's diversity is getting bigger.
Intercultural communication is necessary because of cultural differences, different cultures will have different ways of interacting with other people, but these cultural differences are expected not to be an inhibiting factor in the process of interaction in different cultures. Many students fulfill their aspirations by studying outside of their home country.Numerous Malaysian students attend Sriwijaya University's medical faculty in Palembang City. Differences in cultural backgrounds between local students and foreign students in Palembang result in intercultural communication between them when they are interacting. Many things need to be considered in communicating and interacting in different cultures.
Differences in cultural backgrounds have a strong influence on the emergence of anxiety and uncertainty which has the potential to cause misunderstandings which become obstacles in the process of adaptation in intercultural communication. Intercultural communication competence is an important aspect in the adaptation process. The success of a person's adaptation depends on how functional his intercultural competence is and the accommodation strategies he goes through communication that can lead to effective intercultural communication;
Instead of speaking in Malaysian, they speak English and Indian languages, and the presence of Malaysian Indian students has a story.Malaysian Indians are native Malaysians of Indian descent who have moved to Malaysia for a long time or settled there.In Malaysia, a new trend has emerged in which people of Indian descent who live there refer to themselves as "Indian Malaysians."
One group of Malaysian Indians in Malaysia is descended from people who immigrated from southern India during the British/UK rule in Malaysia. Before independence, the majority of Indians living in Malaysia and Singapore were adult men who left their families in India and Sri Lanka. As a result, the number of Indians living in Malaysia fluctuates as they arrive and depart.(MU Nadeem, R Mohammed, 2018). Indian Malaysians are citizens of India and the third- largest ethnic group in Malaysia, after Chinese and Malays. Those who immigrated from India to Malaysia during the British colonization of Malaya are their ancestors. Malaysian Indians are the fifth largest Overseas Indian community in the world. Other smaller ethnic groups, including Malayalees, Sikhs, and others, make up the majority of Malaysian Indians.
Figure 1: Share of Population in Malaysia from 2019 to 2022 by Ethnicity Source : (Statista, 2022)
According to the aforementioned statistics, 69.9 percent of Malaysians were Bumiputera, 22.8 percent were Chinese, and 6.6% were Indians as of July 2022.Others are those who do not belong to any of these three main ethnic groups (Statista, 2022). According to Dodd in (Daryanto, 2010), the phenomenon of "Indian Malaysian" in intercultural communication is also known as
"interethnic communication." Interethnic communication is communication between two or more people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Other examples include "Italian American,"
"Polish American," and "Mexican American," among others. Numerous international students continue their education at Sriwijaya University (UNSRI) in Palembang. Because of the excellent performance, UNSRI became well-known to many people outside of Indonesia. The next- neighboring nations of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Brunei Darussalam also sent students there to continue their education.
Palembang is home to a large number of Malaysian students, and Malaysia itself is home to a variety of ethnic groups, including Chinese, Malay, Indian, and other ethnic groups. Even though they have a basic understanding of Indonesian language and culture, which is very similar to Malay language and culture, it is still different for them because they had to move from Malaysia to Indonesia, which has different rules, customs, traditions, and ways of communicating. Despite the fact that Malaysia is allied to Indonesia, which is one of its closest neighbors, each country is fundamentally different in how it is characterized.
A disease will affect someone who moved abroad. This illness is known as culture shock. The individual will experience feelings of helplessness, exile, homesickness, loneliness, and unhappiness, among other things. According to (Mulyana et al., 2008), "anxiety brought on by the loss of signs and symbols in social interaction" is the root cause of culture shock. Culture shock is normal because, typically, in our own country, we already know what to do and what not to do,
and it's usually easy to tell the difference between people who are intentionally dishonest and those who are trying to apply everything (Carte & Fox, 2006). However, it can be difficult to determine whether someone's intentions and goals are against us when you interact with people from different nations and cultures. Based on earlier research (Belford, 2017) found that social engagement and friendship ties with a particular focus on variables including cultural similarity, intercultural communication competence, intercultural friendship, and relational identity to influence their experiences.
The clinical orientations on early typology of theories applied to the study of international students and their experience with "culture shock" have been criticized.(Hwang et al., 2016) however different views recently emerged(Zhou et al., 2008). discuss ‘cultural learning’, stress coping models and social identification theories (Furnham & Bochner, 1986) as more contemporary and comprehensive in understanding ‘culture shock’ when people are exposed to a new culture. The signs and symbols in question have to do with how we handle each situation, what should or shouldn't be talked about, and other things. Basically, we should learn about the cultures of other countries if we move there. In point of fact, we ought to acquire knowledge of our own culture, including how it is influenced by how we interact with other people.
Culture comes from the Sanskrit language, namely "buddhayah" which is the plural form of
"buddhi" (mind or reason) which is defined as matters relating to the mind and human reason. In English, culture is called "culture" which comes from the Latin word "colere" which means to process or work on. Can also be interpreted as cultivating land or farming. The word "culture" is also sometimes translated as "culture" in Indonesian. According to Edward Burnett Tylor, culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities acquired by a person as a member of society. Clyde Kluckhon defines culture as the whole way of life of a nation, the social heritage, which individuals get from their groups (Kristanto, 2016).
Communication and culture are two inseparable entities. Edward T. Hall (Mulyana et al., 2008) said that culture is communication, and communication is culture. This type of intercultural relationship must be based on the dual existence of communication, where victory and partial supremacy and culture will find that everyone should be more tolerant (Untila, 2012). (Melinte, 2012) in her research, stated that culture and communication are two inseparable things because culture does not only determine who speaks for whom, about what, and how the results of the communication.
2. Literature Review
Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC)
Due to the increasing diversity of cultures in societies that host individuals from various nations for work or study, the concept of intercultural communication competence (ICC) has received increasing attention from researchers. (Nadeem et al., 2020) A cultural representation, also known as a map of a very complex cultural reality, underpins every aspect of communication. According to Edward T. Hall, who was cited by (Mulyana et al., 2008), "Culture is communication, and communication is a culture," communication and culture cannot be separated. In (Mulyana et al., 2008), Alfred G. Smith also describes culture as "a code that must be learned together and requires communication." Intercultural adaptation is reflected in these variables, making them elements of ICC. However, the researcher has not prioritized observing the behavior of the individual who is aware but unable to reduce anxiety and uncertainty (Gudykunst, 1998). The Gudykunst effort has not given enough weight to one of the possible ICC influencers, the personal networks of individuals that contribute to the communication skills of people from other cultures (MU Nadeem, R Mohammed, 2018).
In essence, there are numerous expert definitions of culture, some of which include (Mumford, n.d.) stated that "culture is the collective mental programming that distinguishes a group of people from other groups. "Culture plays a significant role in our lives, as does communication, and culture can be found everywhere.ICC literature indicates that many conceptions of this construct came from the West (MU Nadeem, R Mohammed, 2018; Chen & Starosta, 1996 ; Deardorff, 2015) While apprehending Western concept of ICC, it should be kept in mind that conception of ICC is very much influenced by researchers’ cultural context (Dalib et al., 2017 ; Yeh, 2010) ; Yum, 2012).
Culture and communication interact in close and dynamic ways. Communication is at the heart of culture because culture is born out of communication. However, this led to the development of a culture that had an impact on the manner in which we communicated with the concerned members of the cultural group. Culture and communication have a reciprocal relationship. Without communication, there would be no culture, and there would be no culture. The intercultural communication model developed by Gudykust and Kim demonstrates how distinct cultures influence encryption and encoding issues. Every culture has other forms that are somewhat analogous to other cultural forms. This suggests that the individual has been shaped by a culture.
This individual shape is marginally not the same as the types of culture that impact it. (Samovar et al., 2010) define intercultural communication as the requirement to comprehend the cultural connection through communication. The study of human cultures reveals how people communicate and perceive the world through the concepts, categories, and labels that created culture. The provision of meaning that is comparable to a social object or event is made possible by cultural similarities in perspective. As a result, the connection between culture and communication, which affect one another, is necessary.
The exchange of ideas and meanings between people from different cultures is intercultural communication. According to (Mulyana et al., 2008). intercultural communication is the process by which individuals from different nations, languages, and cultures communicate with one another. Furthermore, intercultural communication essentially entails examining how culture influences communication: what the cultural meaning of both verbal and nonverbal messages is, what can be communicated, how to communicate (verbally and nonverbally), when to communicate, and many other topics.
The following statements can be used to define intercultural communication in light of the preceding understanding (Liliweri, 2020):
• Intercultural communication is the exchange of messages and information that are delivered orally, in writing, or even fictitiously between two people who are from different cultural backgrounds.
• Intercultural communication is the self-interpersonal communication that is most effective between two people who are from different cultural backgrounds.
• The process of delivering a message to other people who come from different cultural backgrounds through particular channels and produce a particular effect is known as communication between cultures.
• Intercultural communication is any process of sharing ideas, exchange symbol, daily activity, or feelings between different cultural backgrounds.
Intercultural Communication Barriers
Anything that prevents people from communicating effectively is referred to as a communication barrier (Martin & Chaney, 2012). There are a variety of barriers to intercultural communication, each of which resembles an iceberg that floated in the water.where the above-water and below- water (below-waterline) communication barriers separate. Underwater (below the waterline) factors that influence a person's behavior or attitude are called intercultural communication barriers, and they are difficult to see or notice. Perceptions, norms, stereotypes, the business philosophy, rules, networks, values, and the group branch (subcultures group) are all examples of constraints of this kind. Proponents of the culture-learning approach believe that social skills as well as training and contacts with host-society members are all relevant to newcomers (Przyłęcki, 2018). As stated, people who come from cultures of disparate values may have the greatest difficulty in adaptating (Hofstede et al., 2005).
Cultural Identity by Hall
Identity is something abstract and complicated. Therefore, defining identity is difficult. Identity is referred to in a variety of ways by social scientists. According to Gardiner and Kosmitzki (Samovar et al., 2010) in a person's identity is defined as an individual who is distinct from other people in terms of behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. According to Matthew's other point of view, identity is a person's understanding of himself. However, in its literal sense, identity is a characteristic, mark, or identity of a person, group, or organization that sets it apart from others. The overall characteristics or unique circumstances that a person possesses as a result of biological, psychological, and sociological factors that underlie individual behavior and become a
differentiator from other individuals can also be considered part of their identity (Zinaida et al., 2022). other. Therefore, it can be said that identity is a part of who we are.
Hall is of the opinion that cultural identity is a reflection of the ethnic, linguistic, and religious cultures, as well as the original ethnic culture. To build a cultural community between religion and people's imagination rather than objectively distinguishing cultural identity, Western scholars typically tend to define cultural identity through multiple cultures, which is not comprehensive.
The two aspects of cultural identity that Hall deems to be the most significant are then race and nationality. Hall examines two perspectives on the idea of cultural identity in "Cultural Identity and the Ethnic Dispersion." In point of fact, beyond the two positions, Hall also constructs a third one: an integrated and conversational cultural identity (Yang et al., 2021).
In addition to a community of social, political, and economic identities, Hall's focus on cultural identity includes cultural inclusions like ideology, theoretical practice, and so forth. Additionally, there is the cultural identity that encompasses rights relationships and has the potential to influence the development of other identities. Two aspects show how important Hall is in defining cultural identity: First, Hall embodies cultural and identity-related issues. Through identity, he locates culture's main object. The subject's cultural position, composition, and power relations, as well as the dynamics.
Dramaturgy Theory
One of the most well-known authors of social psychology was Erving Goffman.He revealed to us that his well-known principles in his book "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life" are a form of dramaturgical and actress-like appearance. According to (Zetlin, 1995) the work falls within the phenomenological tradition of symbolic interaction. Erving Goffman, a sociologist who studies symbolic interaction, proposed the theory of dramaturgy. Dramaturgy theory is considered to be closely related to the phenomenon of social media, particularly Instagram, regarding how a person describes or portrays himself in the virtual world, which is why researchers are interested in using it.
In this hypothesis, Goffman portrays public activity in the public eye as a similitude for a show stage or theater craftsmanship that is included in front of an audience. In psyche-independent psychology, the instability of human identity is explained by dramatic theory. Human identity can drastically shift in response to circumstances and interactions with opponents. This is the core of this theory, which focuses on how people can control their interactions (Ulfah, R., Ratnamulyani, I., 2016). Goffman describes it as follows when we attempt to talk about the stage, this study will demonstrate the value of the issue because the language of theater has become so closed off in sociology.
The issue we face it is additionally on the grounds that we need to track down a wide range of lacks or shortcomings. Real life is like a play on stage: we have a showcase where we show off our lives, and that's all we have time for. However, considering the stage's shape and how the human figure appears there, In a nutshell, Goffman viewed social life as a form of drama typically associated with the stage (Poloma, 1992).113) stated that it is a "performer" activity that affects other people. As a result, from a dramaturgy point of view, life is similar to theater, and social
interaction is similar to stage performances that feature the roles played by actors. To assume a social part, the entertainer typically utilizes verbal and nonverbal way of behaving of a specific show. The dramaturgy model used a dramatic analogy to depict social actors on the stage of real life and their individual and collective behavior.
The focus dramaturgy approach then focuses on more than just what people are doing—it also considers their motivations, aspirations, and methods. Goffman (Fisher & Trimo, 1986) viewed expressive behavior as a means of presenting oneself to the public in an effort to draw attention to the "role" or "character" as a self-manipulated character. Behaviour that is uncommon "behind the scenes" and quite distinct from how the individual is presented to the public
Ethnic Boundaries Theory and Culture Shock
According to Barth, the most important characteristic of an ethnic group is that it is a type of social organization in which actors use ethnic identities to classify themselves and others in order to interact with people of different cultures. Nonetheless, according to Barth Frederich, the term
"ethnic" refers to a specific group based on similarities in religion, national origin, or a combination of these categories related to the cultural value system. One effective approach to achieving that objective is provided by Barth's essentially transactionalist model of boundary formation and application. The "neo" more closely resembles the revival of an ancient identity claimed by nationalism if the "liberal" in neoliberalism is a deceptive mask for a thoroughly illiberal reality. It is easy to mistake Barth's study of ethnic groups and boundaries for the beginning of deconstruction in anthropology. According to Barth's formulation, people's sense of belonging to ethnic groups is contingent on the situational maintenance of boundaries, which can be crossed in a variety of ways, including by individuals and subgroups shifting their ethnic identities (Herzfeld, 2018).
According to (Vermeulen, H., 1994), Barth's Ethnic Groups and Boundaries, published in 1969, marked the transition from primordialism to constructivism and, as a result, revolutionized the study of ethnicity.In it, Barth criticizes the "naive assumption" that social isolation perpetuates ethnocultural boundaries. Barth complains that this assumption "has produced a world of separate peoples" that "can legitimately be isolated for description as an island to itself" in the scholarly imagination Notably, the problem does not stem from a lack of awareness. (Verver et al., 2020).
It's helpful to understand how ethnic boundaries are drawn when religion and ethnicity are considered as distinct ways of constructing identity and their intersections are taken into account.
Rethinking the concept of ethnic boundaries itself is also helpful. (Jenkins, 2008) Ethnicity is viewed in this context as an ongoing process of ethnic identification that is externalized in social interaction and the categorization of others and internalized in personal self-identification, according to Jenkin (Yusupova, 2018).
According to (Kohls, 2011), the term culture shock refers to the pronounced reactions to the psychological disorientation that are experienced to varying degrees when staying in a new environment for an extended period of time. The risk of not being sufficiently informed about the culture of the host country is one of the difficulties expatriates face when traveling abroad for the first time. A person's ethnocentric mindset can also cause culture shock. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own ethnic group or culture is superior. Culture shock can also be caused by disdain or
contempt for the new culture that is encountered, along with ethnocentrism.(Rajasekar & Renand, 2013). Individual psychology is also examined in relation to culture shock as a kind of emotional response to stress. Culture shock is the psychological disorientation a person experiences when they suddenly move into radically different cultural environments to live and work, according to researchers (Eschbach et al., 2001).
2.1 Problem Statement
From the introduction above, the problem statement in this research are how the identity and cultural shock that the foreign students must passed during their study in Palembang, Indonesia.
3. Method
This exploration is utilizing phenomenological strategies (Zinaida et al., 2022). Phenomenology does not imply that the researcher knows everything there is to know about the subject; what matters is the subjective aspect of people's habits and their attempt to penetrate the subject's deeply conceptual aspects.The purpose of this study is to determine what they look like and how they captured some meaning from their daily activities. As a way of thinking, phenomenology is one of an intelectual custom that has been impacting a subjective exploration.The ability to assist the researcher in exploring the perceptions of other people in order to capture the meaning of anything from their perceptions is the main strength of this method.(Elvinaro, 2010). Key informan in this research are six students from Malaysia who study in bachelor programe in faculty of medicine, Sriwijaya University Palembang, Indonesia. Data sources are the subject of the research, from whom or how the data can be obtained (Arikunto, 2013), and the general research questions are how intercultural communication is used in the process of adapting international students of Indian descent from Malaysia to Palembang.
4. Results and Discussion
Incoming foreign students who into the international class is a minority. Usually when someone becomes the share of a minority in a majority is undeniably something will happen inconveniences.
“When a person is going to be away from his comfort zone for a long time, then there will be transfers of value which we usually call cultural adaptation (Stewart,2006). In contrast, (Furnham, 2019) reveals the cognitive, emotional, physical, and other signs of culture shock by conducting in-depth interviews with five Malaysian Indian students who studied at the Medical Faculty for three months. According to the research, Indonesia appears to have been a country that they frequently heard about (a Malaysian Indian student in medicine faculty in Sriwijaya University Palembang); they heard that Indonesia is a rich country with tribal ethnicity, culture, and religion.
Indonesia is not new to them because it is so close to their countries. However, they claimed that they had already heard that Palembang is in Indonesia because they will continue their education at UNSRI, Palembang. Despite their extensive knowledge of Palembang, they had repeatedly attempted to obtain information from travel agents, the Indonesian embassy in Malaysia, and the internet.
Two aspects of Stress-Adaptation-Growth Dynamic must be emphasized from Kim's explanation.
First, a newcomer will have trouble adapting to the new environment. This will depend on how well they are able to deal with the new culture. Both processes—the ups and downs of the first one—will eventually lead to growth that makes it easy for someone to interact with locals where they are now. The figure bellow shows what (Kim, 2000) describe about stress adaptation growth dynamic.
Figure 1: Stress-Adaptation-Growth Dynamic Source : (Kim, 2000)
Based on the figure above, the stress level can increase and slowly but surely can grow overtime to adaptation stage. But, on the way to growth overtime, foreign student in fact have to face many obstacles. The first thing that become an obstacle for foreign student is the language barrier.
Basically, language is a number of symbols or signs that are approved to be used by a group of people to produce meaning. The relationship between the chosen symbol and the agreed meaning sometimes changes (Finegan, 2014). Language is truly at the heart of human interaction. Language is an important aspect of intercultural communication. Through language a person learns the values and behavior of his culture. Language also plays an important role in communication in general, namely directly expressing or exchanging thoughts or views about other people.
The second obstacles that the foreign students feel bad about this interaction in cultural identity adaptation is the global issues in conflict between countries. Conflict is one of the essences of human life and development which has various characteristics. Humans have differences in gender, social and economic strata, legal systems, nations, ethnicities, religions, beliefs, streams, politics, as well as culture and goals in life. In human history, it is these differences that have always led to conflict. According to (Wirawan, 2009) states that conflict is a conflict process that is expressed between two or more parties who are interdependent on the object of conflict, using behavior patterns and conflict interactions that produce conflict outputs. Conflict has influences that can be positive and negative. Conflict management is a process of parties involved in conflict or third parties developing a conflict strategy and implementing it to control conflict in order to produce a resolution that is acceptable desired (Wirawan, 2009) However, they had read some news about Indonesia, particularly news about terrorists, when they started looking for information about Palembang and Indonesia in particular.
This news spread across the globe, including to Malaysia, where even terrorists were discovered hiding in Palembang. It is sufficient to compel them to reconsider their decision to continue their education in Palembang. They were also concerned when they heard about the Indonesian ban on Malaysian nationals. Only in a few other Indonesian regions, such as Java and Jakarta, did they attempt to get closer to the Palembang natives. Palembang's trigger is difficult to adapt to because of issues related to the ongoing conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia, specially about the sport tournament or other issues related to cultural and ethnicity. Delayed struggle among Malaysia and Indonesia triggers strain understudy and India Malaysia understudies is worried about the presence of those from Malaysia and live in Palembang, Indonesia. They are seen by many people who are not cynical, but Malaysia is their country of origin.
On the one hand, they were prepared for this possibility from the beginning, as every media report at the time demonstrated the difficult relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia. Whatever the reason, anything related to Malaysia is not restricted to Indonesia, including anti-Indonesian sentiment. However, there is still a positive aspect: locals and Malaysian tourists staying in Palembang will be able to socialize without being affected by the tension.
According to (Kim, 2000), "change from students with ethnic identity to individuals assimilate across cultures, identity is a process rich in complexity, with a myriad of influential forces pushing and pulling in many directions but ends within the individual, changed, in varying degrees, by experience" (Harvey, 2007). The period of adaptation is a part of the process by which a person prepares to experience certain cycles that occur from time to time. In contrast, communication anxiety is common at the start of an individual's adaptation process.
The third is adapatation in cultural identity process. Even though they already have more preparedness, in the end someone is certain undergoing an adaptation process. They are familiar with the Moslems in Malaysia, so they are not particularly concerned about Palembang's Moslem population in terms of religion. They think that Palembang's Islam is slightly different from Malaysia's Islam, especially when it comes to how people dress and wear the hijab. Only Moslem dresses and head scarves are typically worn by Muslim women in Malaysia. In contrast to the Muslims in Palembang, they appear to be very fashionable and modern, making them appear to be very beautiful and stylish. They expressed that individuals in Malaysia, where he was conceived, will generally be nonconformist, which is altogether different from individuals of Indonesia, especially Palembang, whom they thought about amicable, warm, and supportive. Despite the fact that Indonesians and Malaysians were nearly identical at first, Malaysians are so crowded and occupied that they have no time to interact with others.
Adaptation was a big issue for these foreign students, it seems happened for example in a group of people try to adapt and communicate with local people or another foreign from different cultures, adaptation is a problem that must be solved. When someone moves from one place to another with a different culture, far from their home town, they are bound to experience culture shock. When arrived in Palembang, the student of Malaysian Indian descent also experiences it.
Adapting is typically hampered mostly by language barriers.
The fourth barrier is Language is a challenge, but the difficulty of adapting to Palembang's cuisine is less of a concern than other factors. Most students and Indian Malaysians have been to the hospital or have had multiple visits to the doctor for stomach issues like digestive and intestine problems. Previously, they didn't worry about the food in Palembang, because it look a like the Malaysian food in general. these Malaysian Indian students tend not to like telling stories, chatting, or exchanging ideas. When writers try to talk or open things up, they tend not to say much.
However, when they spoke in Indian, they seemed enthusiastic and excited. If you want to ask them, it's better to go straight to the point of the question, because if we talk too long and make small talk, they will immediately show an unpleasant expression. this is not because they are arrogant or unfriendly, but this is due to the nervousness and feelings of alienation they feel.
cultural differences that are actually not too significant even make these foreign students choose words or reduce interacting and talking with friends from Palembang or even other countries outside Indonesia.
The last is Most of Malaysians of Indian plunge in the city of Palembang, particularly what the specialists saw after more than the most recent a half year, were in regards to their discourse style, their discourse style as though they could have done without to begin something for a really long time, regardless of whether the scientists and Malaysian Indian understudies were close, yet they could do without to talk finally with loaded with merriments that will occupy their time.
This could be because of a variety of factors, but the researchers are able to draw the following conclusion: it could be because of the background of the course they took, specifically the medical faculty. In the medical faculty, studying requires a lot of energy and drains a lot of thought, so students who are always willing to meet after class has ended up lacking the energy to study in class. The majority of Malaysians are also quite indifferent when conversing with foreigners, which is another factor that contributes to the problem.
5. Conclusion
The adaptation process that was demonstrated by all of the informants is fairly diverse, gradual, and complex. They might find the adaptation process to be quite taxing. They believe that Palembang's religious tolerance is sufficient for them; however, when they first move there, they have the impression that they must be accepted by the majority of Muslim residents. As a result, they attempt to integrate into Moslem culture. They attempt to speak Palembang as a first step, despite its complexity. However, they believe that if they succeed, the surrounding community will accept them.
Because the environment has a big impact on how people adapt, the Indian Malaysian student decided to use public transportation to get around the city for the next four to five years to learn more about their "new home. "In addition, they communicate with locals to force themselves to speak palembangnese, a language they are still learning, albeit imperfectly. From six informants that the investigators observed for more than six months, visible results that the four of them have a lot in common stages of the adaptation process are the search for knowledge advance about the place to be lived in and begin the process of adaptation to still carry their identity and perform a variety of adaptation strategies and smoothly adaptation phase. Each student has its own similarities and differences in the process of adaptation in a new environment. One of them has a
shorter adaptation process than the others because he was not confronted with significant obstacles.
While barriers do exist, they are not particularly significant to him. His humble and easy-going personality traits, as well as his independent family environment, prevent him from encountering many difficulties during the adaptation process.
6. Acknowledgement
The researcher would like to appreciate to Faculty of Medical Science, Sriwijaya University that have supported the research program.
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