What makes Madison stand out from the rest of the world? Taking a step away from the city can give students a fresh perspective to answer this question.
Like any city, Madison has its own unique culture. Understanding it empowers you to know how the city differs from the rest of the world and understand the difficulties students from other cultures may face when studying here.
The trouble is, culture is a bit like temperature: hard to notice unless you’re coming from a place where it’s different. To truly understand the culture of a city, it’s essential to speak with people who’ve lived without it.
For Debrah Fosu, a computer science junior, a key cultural difference is Madison’s lack of “food! Seasoned food!” Hailing from Kumasi, Ghana, Fosu finds American food “very bland — very, very bland.”
He’s not the only one: After traveling to India, Shivani Choudhary, a computer science student, also started to notice Madison’s bland food. While she compliments Madison’s food safety, noting “you have to be more careful with what you eat in India,” Choudhary emphasizes that “everything’s a lot richer there.” She attributes this to the availability of spices and seasonings that Madison does not have.
Another aspect of the city, transportation, also shows Madison’s unique culture. “I’m still struggling remembering how to cross streets,” admits Emmie Corbin, an anthropology and sociology student at UW – Madison who spent a year studying in London.
Corbin comments that while “public transportation is more normalized in Europe and London than in the US,” Madison has a very high investment in public transportation for an American city. Fosu agrees, and emphasizes Madison’s citywide bus system and highly walkable streets, which allow him to travel places much more efficiently than in Ghana.
While food and transportation are key parts of day-to-day life, the groups of people who constitute a city are even more important. Or, sometimes, the lack of them. UW – Madison and the city itself are an amalgamation of different cultures, but some groups are underrepresented.
Fosu has firsthand experience with this, lamenting, “the only time I’m able to be the Ghanaian me is when I go to church on Sundays.” Similarly, after spending a month in India for a religious service, Choudhary has felt the lack of a unifying culture in Madison.
“I think everything is just different here, like the clothes you wear, the kind of people you’re around, what’s acceptable and not acceptable”
Shivani Choudhary
For his part, Fosu is adapting well to the city. After making it through his freshman year and surviving long-lasting jet lag, food troubles, and a “crazy roommate” (who happens to be the author of this story), Fosu has thrived. He now works as a teaching assistant for Computer Science 200 and is the president of ColorStack, a student organization that promotes diversity in computer science.
Corbin, though still struggling with road directions, has enjoyed a summer in Madison. “I think it’s really cool that people gather on the Terrace and love spending time outdoors during the summer,” she says. Now a full-fledged member of the Hoofers Sailing Club, Corbin enjoyed Madison’s lakeside activities under the summer heat.
Meanwhile, Choudhary has enjoyed the transition back to Madison, and has made the most of her time here. Recently, she became a Writing Head for this very magazine, a position which involves editing and revising articles – including this one.
Ultimately, Madison’s culture is neither good nor bad – just unique. While transitioning from one cultural context to another may be challenging, the chance to experience other ways of life and meet people of all kinds is a valuable and eye-opening experience.