Globalization has caused the world to open the doors between its people. It has allowed people to move between different countries if they choose, oftentimes resulting in permanent settlement in a new country. As a result, over 150 million people are living in countries that are not of their native origin (Peoples and Bailey, 351). These 150 million immigrants, not including refugees seeking political asylum, are encouraging the creation of a world-wide economic and cultural system.

There are immigrants who actively participate in California culture and who have voluntarily acclimated to California’s norms and values, and there are immigrants who isolate themselves from outside influences, maintaining the values and traditions of their original culture. Despite the differences between these two types of immigrants, each is being influenced by globalization while simultaneously promoting it. Globalization is the process in which all of the world’s populations are being incorporated into a single world-wide economic system, (Davis, Lecture 4, 10/8).

During my interviews of immigrant students on the UC Davis campus, I came to an exciting conclusion. I discovered that globalization

Carlos has a very optimistic view of life in the United States, while Mai Ling has a very negative view. She felt that California is such a diverse state that it makes her feel nervous. One would assume that this diversity would encourage her adaptation, but it does not. According to Mai Ling, she is used to a more a homogenous area so the diversity makes her feel estranged. Mai Ling also finds the degree to which Americans express feelings to be very disturbing. In Taiwan, all emotions are kept to oneself. The norm is to never express emotions unless you are in the company of close family members or are alone.

Another factor that affected Carlos and Mai Ling’s immigration is their respective ethnicities and cultures. A person’s ethnicity is his or her association with a particular group of people who share his or her common culture. Culture is the social knowledge and behavior shared by a group of people. A person’s ethnicity encourages immigration because it gives immigrants the notion that there will be other people of their same ethnicity in this new home. Immigration then does not seem as frightening. The new immigrants know they will be able to make friends with others similar to themselves. This reassures them that they will be accepted into a small community of people who share experiences, language, and cultural values. Immigrants know that there are many different ethnicities and cultures in individual countries throughout the world today, so they will be accepted into a diverse community within a country.

Globalization has played a huge role for many people who have chosen to immigrate to the United States. Without making a conscious choice to do so, these immigrants support the global economy despite their unique ways of adapting to a new culture. Carlos and Mai Ling’s experiences demonstrate two different ways in which people arrive and adapt to California culture. Globalization is one of the major driving forces encouraging immigration between countries all over the world. Without the intensification of globalization, individual countries of the world would not have such diversity within its boundaries. In order for the world to become a more culturally diverse and interesting place, it is necessary that globalization continue fostering and encouraging immigration. With the continuation of immigration and the sharing of different values and cultures, the world will stand united in its people.

The two immigrants that I chose to explore each demonstrate an extreme, which is why I chose to further investigate their circumstances. One type fosters globalization by voluntarily (and sometimes easily) adapting to the new lifestyle of the United States. The other isolates him or herself from people other than those of his or her own culture. Both were encouraged by globalization to emigrate from their native countries, but each fosters globalization in a unique way. I have changed the names of those interviewed to protect their anonymity.

Carlos and Mai Ling have different approaches to the kinds of friends that they make. Their different approaches reflect not only their respective cultures, but also their personalities. Carlos interacts with only different ethnicities because he likes and is comfortable with diverse types of people. This may be because he is a more outgoing person. Mai Ling, however, interacts only with co-ethnics because it is easier for her to do so. Carlos does not worry about ethnicity and has therefore become partially assimilated. He has merged with a group of Americans and adopted a lifestyle similar to that of these friends. He speaks only English, eats only American food, and listens only to American music.

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