Culture shock!
How to adapt to a new country
Leaving home and travelling to study in a different country is an exciting challenge but it can be a stressful experience. Almost everyone experiences ‘cultural shock’ to some degree. Cultural shock is a term used to describe the disorientation and frustration many people experience when they enter a culture different from their own. It includes the shock of new unfamiliar environment, meeting a lot of new people who speak a foreign language and finding out that things are done differently. Separation from your family and close friends is also an important factor.
Symptoms of Cultural Shock
Symptoms of Cultural Shock Cultural shock can be expressed in a variety of ways. Symptoms may be both physical and psychological
such as: feelings of sadness, loneliness, physical aches and pains, insomnia or the desire to sleep a lot, feeling vulnerable, anger, etc. People who are experiencing culture shock complain about all aspects of life - the food, the weather, the people, and idealize their own home country.
Many who experience it do not even realize that they are suffering from it; people often do not fully understand culture shock until they return home to their country, when they are surprised to see their own country with new eyes.
Process of adapting
The process of personal adaptation to new environment has distinct stages which last a different length of time for each one of us. 1. Excitement (sometimes called a
Honeymoon Period) Everything is new and exciting. You
find everything interesting and
people seem to be friendly. 2. Crisis Everything is difficult and confusing. You feel homesick and isolated and complain about the new country. This is the stage we hear referred to as “culture shock.” 3. Adjustment (turning point) You feel more confident and relaxed. Customs and traditions become clearer; the culture in general seems more familiar. 4. Integration You have recognized that the new culture has much to offer. You find differences valuable and important.