Living in the Information Age has its numerous benefits to individuals and society as a whole. One of the new possibilities is being able to converse with other people virtually anywhere on the planet in real-time. I personally experienced this phenomena during my junior year of high school and it has changed my perception on other cultures.

I was invited to a Skype session with Japanese schoolkids at my school. Without hesitation I accepted the offer for I was curious about the average Japanese student. As a result of living in the Imperial County I have not had much experience with other cultures nor nationalities. The population is roughly 80 percent Hispanic, with approximately 1.6 percent of the people being of Asian descent. So this opportunity to talk with Japanese kids my age would be a perfect chance to expose me to a culture I knew little about.

On the day the session happened I walked into the school’s computer lab at 4:30 PM and waited for it to commence. I found it peculiar to have the talk an hour and a half after school had ended, however it was due to the 16 hour time difference between us. The Skype started with some minor technical difficulties, however the rest of the call was flawless. We situated ourselves and began exchanging formalities. The other students and I greeted our Japanese counterparts by welcoming them to our school in Japanese. Likewise the Japanese students greeted us in English. Following this we started to exchange cultures and beliefs. I found this experience to be both enthralling and fascinating for both parties.

The Japanese students informed us of their culture and customs. They explained the average school week and what the classes encompassed. To us Americans it was captivating to learn about Japanese life. We responded to them in a similar fashion. We told the students on the other side of the Pacific about our school and lives. They marveled about how we lived in the blazing inferno known as the Imperial Valley. Near the end we casually discussed about miscellaneous items, for instance we conserved about favorite TV shows and favorite foods. I was left slightly bewildered when the Japanese girls said to me that I was cute. At the end of the hour-long symposium both groups came out knowing more about each other’s practices and lifestyle.

This unique chance to talk to others on the other side of the planet is thanks to the marvels of modern technology. The excursion I had with Japanese students served to further increase my comprehension and understanding of their lifestyle. Such a chat would not have been possible without the advent of technology. However, these conversations are sadly not a frequent occurrence. My subsequent talks with Japanese people has been more one-on-one, laid-back and done via messaging. While such dialogues required me to acquire a rudimentary knowledge of Japanese I found them to be an immense insight into Japanese life. For the average person I surmise they are unlikely to go out of their way to engage with a foreigner, given the language barrier or fear. Nevertheless it is imperative that as we are becoming evermore globalized and interconnected we must engage in cultural interchanges to reconcile and learn from differing peoples and cultures.