Why does Asian Bubble happens?

I am a Chinese, and I was always live in China before I go to college. When my freshmen year of college life, I found out that almost all my friends are Asian, more exactly is East Asian who share the same culture and appearance with me. My friends also only have Asian friends. I do know some American friends, but not so familiar, just know each other and say hi to each other when we meet on the street. When I go to campus cafeteria, I found an interesting thing that there is East Asian sat with East Asian, Arabian sat with Arabian; Black sat with Black, and White sat with White in most case. That is the Bubble. I am Chinese, and I am sinking in Asian Bubble.hqdefault

Why does that happen? Before I came to the United States, I told myself thousands of times that I need to be more outgoing and sociable. I need to spend more time to hang out with people not same races with me, but I still sinking in Asian Bubble now. I know the disadvantage of Asian Bubble. It is not okay for me to know American culture and find out more about the country. Here is an article talks about the Asian Bubble. This article thinks the Bubble things like Asian Bubble is kind of Self-Segregation. I totally agree with that.

When I first come to the United States, I was eager to have more different races friends. Because of the international student’s orientation, I know lots of Chinese and Korean friends, and they always are with me. I tried to talk with other races people, and be friends with them. But, I gradually feel it is so hard for me. As a Chinese man born and bred, I feel I know nothing about American culture, and sometimes I don’t understand what they talk about. I cannot get their jokes, and some pop words. But, when I am with Asian, we almost share the same culture, so I know a lot about how to make friend with them. For Chinese, We speak the same language which makes us so easy to be a friend and we feel comfortable to be with each other, because we know each other much more. For my Korean friends, we must talk in English, but we share the almost same culture, we do understand each joke even we need to translate in English. Almost like Chinese, Korean knows what I said. I still remember, last time I want to say twenty-two to my Korean friend, by mistake, I said twelve-two; the thing surprised me is that he understand what I am talking about, and he did not even found out that I am wrong. People all feel more comfortable to hang out with the people who can understand them. I guess this is the reason that why Asian Bubble happens. This article totally proved my idea about the Asian Bubble.cultural-interaction-250x250

From my perspective and the Chinese I know, there is also the language barrier that promotes the form of Asian Bubble. I know lots of Chinese think their English are not good enough to talk with English speakers, and they feel shy to talk to them. They believe that they will get discriminated by English speakers just because they cannot speak English fluently. So, they began to stay in Asian bubble, and they feel more comfortable to stay in Asian Bubble, then they will never leave Asian Bubble. This fun youtube video using a funny way to explain this.

5 thoughts on “Why does Asian Bubble happens?

  1. dhc5097

    Hello Wencong, I found your blog post to be extremely insightful coming from the perspective of an international student at an American University. I personally have never heard of the “Asian bubble,” but the separation of races is nothing new to me. Walking through the library, cafeteria and other public places you see specific race groups only interacting with their own race. I believe this is due because of the same culture that they share with each other and how they feel most comfortable with them. Many students of specific races often believe that other races wants to stay within their race bubble which is something that should be addressed and is not always true, just like in your case. I believe college is a time to learn about different cultures around the world. I found an article that discusses 10 reasons why colleges should be diverse.


  2. Olivia Watkins

    Hi Wencong! I enjoyed reading your article. I am sorry to hear about the “Asian Bubble” that occurs at Penn State and in general. I have always wondered why a majority of international students stick together because I know Penn State, specifically, has been really trying to improve diversity and engage students from all over to interact with each other. It’s totally understandable that most international students would live with other international students because those are the people that you are both most familiar with being in such an unfamiliar environment. The language barrier is one that is probably one of the hardest. English is a very hard language to learn and I have no idea where to begin with Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. A predisposition that people have about international students is that they like to stay within their comfort zone. This perception is starting to change. I found an article about an individual who overcame the hardships and is doing quite well. I thought you’d like to see that the mindsets are starting to change and this segregation is becoming smaller.
    P.S. I went to Kung Fu tea with my boyfriend and I really love that place. I know you probably won’t respond, but I am curious if that is what it is like from where you are from? They were playing a pop station and I think it was Korean. (I’m not sure!!)

    1. Wencong Wang Post author

      Thank you Olivia for comment my post. In my personal perspective and my friends views, the Kung Fu tea is not as good as it in China. The milk tea is a little bit sharp, I think it has changed its favor to fit for Americans taste. I don’t know about the pop station. But people in Kung Fu tea is Chinese.

  3. Alyssa Marie Frey

    I really enjoyed reading your blog and am glad you decided to write about something you are currently going through. Coming to college and meeting new people is a scary situation for all of us. We automatically try to find people who seem the most like us so we can gain that instant connection. Many people struggle when it comes to socializing with different cultures because it may be unfamiliar to them. However, I think everyone benefits from getting to know people unlike themselves and socializing with people that come from different cultures. I found this interesting article that shows how important it is to gain global awareness. A great addition to your post would be to find some kind of study or experiment in which people may confirm to other people within their culture or same race.

  4. Emma Murphy

    This blog was interesting to read from your perspective as a Chinese student at an American University. I was aware of the race separation that is common in our culture, but I did not know that there was the term “Asian bubble.” I definitely have noticed that all the Asian students tend to gravitate towards each other. It must be hard coming to a new country with a new and different culture that you are not used to. I give you credit for trying to learn the American culture and coming to school here. I’m not sure if I could do that myself.

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