How to Experience Cultural Immersion when you Travel

The definition of Cultural Immersion: the process of familiarizing yourself with a new culture through a deep level of personal involvement and active participation in the life of the culture. This is a technique that is used to gain a wider understanding of the language, sociocultural norms, traditions and other social dimensions of the culture that you are experiencing.  

 

Now, just imagine... You travel to a new country, you see a few sights, try some new and interesting food, and you are fortunate to attend a cultural festival that falls at the same time that you are visiting. Your accommodation is in a great location; you are happy with the ‘western’ comforts, and you meet a lot of other travelers of a similar age and from your home country (which is how you actually heard about the cultural festival that you attended). You come home feeling like you have learned a lot and have had a really authentic experience as it was unlike anything you have done before. But ask yourself this, were you really immersed in the culture? 

No, you haven’t even scratched the surface! 

When we talk about cultural immersion, we are talking about interacting with the local people, integrating yourself within the community and the interest in understanding the way people live within that community by engaging in various daily life activities. The main question to be asking yourself when you’re travelling and trying to immerse yourself in the local culture is ‘why?’. 

 

You travelled to an amazing cultural site; it was beautiful, and you got some amazing photos for your social media pages, but did you learn why this place important to the locals? What is the history of the site and what previous events took place here? 

For example, the Bat Caves in Battambang, Cambodia.  

This is a popular tourist activity in Battambang, and many people gather each evening as the sun sets to see the spectacle of millions of bats pouring out from the mouth of the caves. We can’t deny that it’s a beautiful site with the giant Buddha calved into the cliff face and the jungle of plants forming the skyline.  

Although the Bat Caves have beautiful appearance and surroundings, the history of the site doesn’t quite match the aesthetic and deserves more than a quick social media moment. The mountains of Phnom Sampeou were often used by the Khmer Rouge during their campaigns in the 1980’s. The area is still marked with this legacy as human remains from this time have been left to rest and therefore, the area is very important to Khmer culture. As it is such an important and memorable place for the locals, and represents such a significant part of Cambodian history, we encourage all of our Global Citizens to visit here during their time in Cambodia as it helps to develop a deeper understanding of the Khmer culture.

The Bat Caves, Phnom Sampeou, Battambang, Cambodia

 

You attended a festival, it was really fun and vibrant, and you enjoyed the high-energy atmosphere, but why were the locals celebrating on this day? Why were they wearing traditional dress and how can you participate in some of the traditional activities on the day? 

For example, Yomari Day in Nepal: 

A recent group of Global Citizens who travelled to Nepal were fortunate to be in-country on Yomari Day (Yomari Punhi). This popular, joyful festival marks the end of the rice harvesting season and is usually celebrated during the full moon of December. There is a tradition of making Yomari as rice harvest offerings to the deities – these steamed dumplings are made of an outer layer of rice flour and stuffed with a sweet filling of Chaku and sesame seeds. Yomari is thought to have warming qualities and are therefore a popular treat to savor during this time as the end of the rice harvesting season falls in winter. 

It’s all good knowing this kind of information, but to truly understand the traditional processes and the significance of making the steamed dumplings on Yomari Day, you have to give it a go! Our group of Global Citizens had the chance to join a group of local women in making Yomari. This experience allowed them to fully immerse in the Nepalese culture by witnessing the artistry and care that goes into making each individual dumpling, mastering the skill of how to construct the shape and learning about the unique ingredients needed to make one.  

Global Citizen, Naimh making Yomari Dumplings in Nepal.

 

Experiencing a new country and immersing yourself in its culture should leave you returning home from your overseas experience with a wider perspective and some new skills. You can share these skills with your friends and family as you pass on certain traditions you have learned about and celebrate this new culture with others! What better way is there to preserve and share a culture than it reaching a global community?

 

Our top piece of advice to ensure cultural immersion: interact with the locals! 

Local guides giving our group of Global Citizens in Cambodia a cultural orientation.

 

It’s great to do some research before your trip. There are an extensive number of online blogs written by travelers who have travelled the world. They tend to include their top recommendations of things to do and see, or try to give you a heads up about some of the local customs and practices. These travelers might have had a great guide when they travelled across the country, or they might have spent a long period of time travelling this area (so you trust their information as they must have become accustomed to local life due to the length of time they spent there). This is all great, but at the end of the day, you’re hearing about the place and culture from someone who is still foreign to that area. Of course, it’s a good idea to do some research beforehand, get recommendations and hear stories from others who have visited the country, but no one is going to know the place as intimately as the people who live there. Hence why the best tips and information about the customs and traditions are going to come from the locals!  

By engaging with the local community in this way, you are not just seeking the best travel tips and deepening your level of understanding of the local practices; you’re giving the community an opportunity to celebrate their culture and educate visitors on their unique traditions. It’s the best of both worlds! You get to learn and experience something new and exciting, and the local community get to share and preserve their customs. In a world where globalisation is rapidly increasing and international influence is becoming more imminent (even in areas that would have been considered remote less than a decade ago), it has never been more important to protect and conserve local culture and traditions. Cultural immersion is therefore, vital for conservation of the ‘local’ and connecting it with new travelers. And, it starts with you! As you grow in your role as a Global Citizen, you are developing a deeper understanding and cross-cultural awareness, and are becoming a powerful driver of this process. 

 

If you have any top tips for experiencing cultural immersion when travelling, we would love to hear! Tag us in some activities or send us a message on Instagram! @challengesabroad