a new beat

I've been thinking on the importance which language plays in a culture. Newly settled in Singapore, primarily inhabited by the Chinese, I'm realizing perhaps for the first time, how acutely language is at the forefront of breaking into any culture. While I've lived abroad before, i only realize now that having lived abroad but only in English speaking countries/cultures is way different then being in the opposite. In many ways, to me, this feels like my first "foreign" experience. While it was easy to blend in the UK and US, thanks to having English as more of a mother tongue than Hindi (as i neither think nor write in Hindi), it is a completely different experience coming to a place where there are no necessary substitutes in English to understanding the local plethora - be it local food, local music, local movies, local TV et all. I've always believed just living somewhere with no experience or understanding of the local culture is such a waste of having got the opportunity of being in an altogether different place. At the root of all of these, is the total lack of my understanding of the language. And this has made me question, in my very first few days of being here, whether until this barrier is broken somehow, will i ever really be able to enjoy this culture - or will i just live here, frequenting my life around events, either Indian or English, but never getting to know the local culture. This is perhaps an initial thought (or shock), as I've been here less than two weeks - so maybe I'll find ways and means to understand the local culture somehow! I'll have to wait and watch i guess.