Did you know that one of the most common symptoms of Culture Shock is an increase in alcohol intake and appetite? Yes, I’m talking to you, reading this with your hand in a half-eaten jar of Nutella and a glass of wine in the other. Put it down.
“Culture Shock” is a nice term for the absolute emotional roller coaster that occurs when a person begins living in a new country. Dealing with new currencies, strange customs, vastly different foods, foreign languages, and more is enough to make any Collegiette’s head spin and send her into a downward spiral. But, if you know the signs, symptoms, and how to deal…you can conquer Culture Shock with ease and start loving your time abroad.
Stage 1: Excitement
When each new scent is enticing, delicious foods are inviting, and the exotic nature of a new language, customs, and culture overwhelm you with fantastic impressions; your new culture seems great. Everything is bathed in a romantic light and the possibilities seem endless for your new life abroad. Falling in love with a French man? He’ll bring roses and baguettes to every date. Sand boarding in South Africa? I’ll be nationally ranked. Joining the debate team at Oxford? Of course. With anything seeming possible, the excitement of being in a new country only builds and you feel like your walking on air. Unfortunately, this excitement is short-lived and soon disappears. (Though the idea of a whirlwind romance with a French man may still race through the back of your mind).
Stage 2: Withdrawal
Cultural behavior follows a pattern. When you are picked up out of your own culture and put into a completely new one, the unpredictability of people’s actions starts to deter you from experiencing the culture. Mocking the way they eat in Tanzania, dress in Hong Kong, or for me, chain smoke like Wal-Mart truckers in France, is a common way to cope. If you are learning a new language, the barrier of linguistic expression becomes more pronounced and your discomfort more apparent as dramatic feelings of loneliness and despair set in. Long-distance relationships, family issues, and more can worse these effects. Constant headaches from new sights and sounds plague you each day and staying in your bed may seem like a better option than almost anything. When we leave our native country and the complexities of our own culture, we also leave behind the roots that nourish our identities. Trying to rediscover your personal identity abroad while simultaneously adjusting to all the cultural intricacies and bizarre customs in your new environment can throw any abroad girl into despair…and reaching for the wine bottle and comfort food. But, don’t’ fret ABC’s because it gets better.
Stage 3: Adjustment
The labyrinth of a metro system suddenly begins to make sense, dinners in another language are greeted with excitement, and you know the walk to school like the back of your hand. Everything begins to magically fall into place, and you find your identity in this new, strange place hidden somewhere beneath pages of conjugations, cultural nuances, and piles of homework.
Stage 4: Enthusiasm
You begin to feel at home in your new culture, can function easily when cultural twists and turns are thrown your way, and begin to prefer certain customs of the new culture even better that your own. You’re speaking like a Spaniard, using hand gestures like an Italian, or have picked up Russian slang from your new friends. In other word’s ABC’s, this is what your waiting for.
Tips and Tricks to Surviving Culture Shock
Here are just a few tips and tricks to help you traverse the stages, and negate and triumph over Culture Shock.
- Bring some of home with you. Whether this is photos, an old stuffed animal, or a sacred journal, having something that reminds you of home will make you realize no matter how far away you are, home is always close to you.
- Make local friends. This will help alleviate feelings of loneliness and is a sure way to acclimate you to the new culture.
- Be patient with yourself. Don’t expect to be immediately adjusted after a month. You will hit valleys and peaks many times, so give yourself time to adjust.
- Exercise. I can’t stress this one enough. Every smart abroad girl knows that exercising releases endorphins that in turn make you happier and can push the Culture Shock blues right out the door. In addition, staying healthy is an essential part of being in the right mindset to succeed abroad.
- Join in. Whether you love it or hate it, you’re abroad in your exotic locale for a reason, so get involved. Intern, volunteer, work, play sports, or participate in programs you would never try at Bucknell. The opportunities really are endless.
Culture Shock can, at times, make you want to scream, quit, and go home to the land of orange and blue that we love so much (and that being abroad has made me cherish even more). It can hit you like a tidal wave and knock you down again and again, causing you to lose your will to get back up. Yet remember, when you’re struggling that going through these stages will cause you to experience a type of personal growth you never imagined possible. It will make you into a more independent person who can adapt to new situations, be confident in the face of adversity and confront challenges head on. So, ABC, if your hand is still in that jar of Nutella…go ahead and finish the tub. However, when that last bite is finished, get out of your hideout and get out that door. There is a world to explore.