Tips for Dealing with Culture Shock

By Sherilyn Chia

OMG what is that? People here eat that?! But no one does this back home! How do they not have this, and what on earth are they saying? They look so different, can you believe these people think this is acceptable? Help, I wanna go homeeee!!!!

If you have ever said or thought any of these phrases, then you have experienced a classic case of culture shock. The overwhelming feeling of disorientation, the sense of nervousness and confusion, the wonderment, discomfort, alienation, even depression- everyone reacts differently when being thrown into a new culture.

There are different phases of this whole “shock process”, and for the purpose of this blog post, we have simplified it to three – Euphoria, Shock and Adaptation. Here are some first hand tips on how to get through them!

Stage 1: Euphoria
This is when your eyes are open wide, and you are staring in blissful curiosity and excited bewilderment at anything and everything that is different. You squint at the funny characters on street signs, take pictures of the clothes people are wearing and greedily try any local food you find. Everything is so different! This is the honeymoon phase where things still feel like they have jumped out from a documentary or your lonely planet guidebook, and you excitedly observe and discover everything different about the wonderful new culture. In movies there will be a happy cheesy tune playing in the background and the female lead runs about town taking pictures of birds and children on the streets.

Note: Hate to say it, but this stage will and must end eventually if you want to be more than just a hyper tourist. As a newbie in town you generally hang out with other foreigners. They help you ease into your new environment in a more familiar way and form your “home away from home”.

This city is soooo beautiful!

Stage 2: Shock
The honeymoon is over and you start realizing just how much influence on your daily life these cultural differences have. You can never find your way around, pointing stops getting what you want in stores, local habits start seeming offensive and silly, none of the supermarkets sell your trusted tampon brand, your stomach is not adjusting well to the food and water, you really miss your Monday night TV show and ease of living at home, as well as your friends and family. At this stage excitement gives way to frustration and many develop negative feelings towards the new city and its people.  When you feel like you can’t wait to jump on the next plane home, here are some tips that might help!

Um, newspaper stand owner, I don’t think it’s ok to cook your lunch on the street like that.

Stage 3: Adaptation
If you did not crumble and give up at Stage 2, you will eventually learn to adapt to your new environment. You start making local friends, have a favorite local dish and join a gym. You have discovered that the drink with the funny smell actually tastes pretty good. Life starts falling into a routine and you are no longer nervous but comfortable going about town on your own. You take a visiting relative to dinner at your favourite restaurant with your friends and a tourist actually asked you for directions (your own map is torn and discarded, you no longer need it). You end every phone call with your best friend with “you will love it here, come visit!”. Everything is STILL different, but that is totally cool with you. After all, what’s the point in travelling all that distance if everything is going to be exactly the same as home? Remember to appreciate how far you have come and how much you have grown – it’s a great testimony to your character. (And might be an appropriate way to show how you’ve overcome a challenging situation on, say, a future job interview!) And of course the funny stories that arose due to cultural misunderstandings always make for fun stories to share over dinner!

Mmmmmm….favorite local dish!

If there’s any advice we can give to help to ease the transition to life in your new culture, it’s to tell you that the key is to always keep an open mind. No two cultures are exactly the same (or even remotely the same, in some cases) Different does not mean wrong. Understand the heritage and culture of your host city, and respect them. You don’t have to compromise your values and do all that Romans do, but you are the visitor so don’t expect things to be done your way. With all that in mind, pack your bags, grab your camera and be ready for your next cultural experience!

Have you ever experienced culture shock? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

photo credit

Sherilyn Chia


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