“I Wish That I Could Belong”: An Intercultural Play About Adapting to Life in the US

Oct 15, 2026

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This article analyzes an intercultural play written by the author, centered on four international students studying and living in the United States. It examines five scenes and addresses cultural differences, first impressions, university systems, friendship, time and personal space, stereotyping, discrimination, and culture shock. The piece explains the reflective process behind the storyline, script, and characters, with the aim of promoting intercultural awareness through drama. It also includes a suggested lesson plan and proposes orientation and curriculum supports for safe expression and dialogue.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

International students’ cultural adaptation and emotional isolation

University orientations and the need for tangible support

Promoting intercultural awareness through drama

ESL curricula and the lack of intercultural awareness modules

Addressing stereotyping through performance

“I Wish That I Could Belong”: An Intercultural Play About Adapting to Life in the US This article provides an in-depth analysis of a play that I wrote centering on 4 international students’ experiences studying and living in the US. It consists of 5 scenes, which delve into the topics of cultural differences, first impressions of the US, university systems, friendship, time and personal space, stereotyping and discrimination, and culture shock. Central to this article was highlighting the rationale behind this play and the reflective processes that were instrumental to creating the story line, script, and characters. Moreover, the objective of this play is to promote intercultural awareness through drama in order to strengthen students’ relationships with each other and to foster dialogue. By incorporating materials that focus on cross-cultural communication into curricula designed for English immersion programs, I hope that students will develop a greater understanding of and appreciation for cultural differences. A suggested lesson plan regarding ways of teaching the play is included in this article as a means of showing the stages that lead to a final performance performed by the students. Introduction For international students coming to the US to live and study, adapting to this new culture can be a rewarding experience, for they can develop a greater understanding of a different lifestyle through interacting with individuals from that culture. In some cases, however, this process of adaptation is painful, inasmuch as they are sometimes confronted with situations in which their identities, beliefs, and values associated with their own culture are called into question. While feelings of isolation are not uncommon when living in another culture, learning how to cope with them can be a daunting task. Some 150 • The CATESOL Journal 26.1 • 2014 students may not have the opportunities or feel at ease externalizing their emotions, whereas others would prefer to conceal the fact that they are struggling. How are these issues addressed? What kinds of strategies are implemented to create a safe space where international students can freely express their concerns and discuss situations and experiences that have conjured those feelings? Even though universities organize orientations for international students wherein they are provided with important information about various aspects of American culture, I think that not enough is being done in a tangible and concrete way to address the issues that arise when students are immersing themselves in another culture. To this end, I chose to write a play about international students and to focus specifically on their interactions with each other, their discussions about cultural differences, and their frustrations about feeling like outsiders. In so doing, my aim is to present these themes in a way that students can relate to and that will help them to come to terms with their feelings. As part of this project, international students will be expected to perform the original play, expanding on certain topics and incorporating their own experiences into it or creating short scenes in which they interact with the characters as they knew them, providing them with advice on ways of coping with their respective issues. Central to my project was promoting intercultural awareness among students in order to strengthen their relationships with eachother and to foster dialogue. By participating in activities that emphasize cross-cultural communication, students begin to discern commonalities between their respective cultures (Cunico, 2005) . In so doing, they realize that while they may espouse diverging beliefs and values, what matters is finding ways of accepting each other and more important, of embracing those differences. Unfortunately, ESL curricula do not often include modules that specifically handle intercultural awareness, let alone discuss it through the medium of drama. W

FAQs

What is the play centered on?

The play centers on four international students’ experiences studying and living in the US, exploring how they navigate cultural differences and feelings of being outsiders.

What topics are covered across the play’s scenes?

The article describes five scenes addressing cultural differences, first impressions of the US, university systems, friendship, time and personal space, stereotyping and discrimination, and culture shock.

How does the author suggest drama helps ESL students?

Drama helps students engage both bodies and minds, reflect on their adaptation experiences, and recognize that others face similar situations, which can encourage them to share their own impressions.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by SANS