Aspects of Mongolian Culture that May Challenge an ESL Learner

I can anticipate many areas of Mongolian culture that may cause challenges/conflicts for an ESL/ELD learner, especially in the areas of religion, gender roles, hospitality, and superstitions. I can speak from personal experience because in my last teaching semester I had two Mongolian students in my class. These two students had a difficult time acclimatizing to Canadian culture because like many Mongolians, these two students were very quiet people. When they came to Canada, they realized that everyone was always looking at them, expecting them to say something. This introversion can be extremely challenging for Mongolian ESL students because it might hinder their acculturation process and prevent them from making friends in school. This reserved demeanor may also hinder the language acquisition progress of many Mongolian ELLs who are too shy to take risks with oral communication. The nomadic way of life that many Mongolians are used to may also pose a challenge for ESL learners because many Mongolian children are taken out of school early by their parents to help farm, and never learn to read. Being an ESL student without any previous academic life could certainly be a difficult adjustment.
Mongolian ESL students may also be challenged by their unique belief in superstitions. These students may face ridicule and a lack of understanding from fellow students when practicing superstitious actions like never stepping on the threshold of someone else’s house, or believing that evil will follow when milk is spilled. Facing alienation due to differing cultural backgrounds will certainly be detrimental to an ESL student’s educational progress. Mongolian students may also be challenged by their differing practices regarding hospitality because in Mongolia, if a friend invites another out to dinner, or to the movies, they believe that it is their duty to pay. In Canada, however, this is not usually the case, and a Mongolian ESL student could face embarrassment when they go out to dinner with friends without any money.
Mongolian ESL students may have trouble adjusting to opposing beliefs regarding gender roles, and ideas about women. It is common for Mongolian men to believe that women have smaller brains, and are therefore less intelligent than men are. In fact, I ran into some hostility at the beginning of the school year with my two Mongolian students because they did not want their teacher to be a woman. Mongolian students may have a difficult time working in classroom cooperative groups with females, and this could result in unexpected behaviour.
Because many Mongolians are Lamastic Buddhists, ESL students may have a difficult time practising their religion in Canada due to a lack of resources. It could be very difficult for an ESL student to find a Buddhist temple, or a Lama in a time of need. Many Canadian students are also unfamiliar with Eastern religions, and as a result might reject a Mongolian ESL student because of his/her religion. It is unjust and just plain awful when ESL students must face rejection and alienation when they are in a new country, learning a new language.