Culture Shock - Survival as an International Teacher

Sitting in an ex-pat bar, you find yourself uncontrollably sobbing into your beer because you can't buy peanut butter at the local grocery store. Are you crazy? No- you are experiencing culture shock- and you aren't alone. Everyone who travels abroad experiences culture shock to varying degrees.

Culture shock is caused by the stress of being in a new culture. It is a normal part of adjusting to new foods, customs, language, people and activities, A person with culture shock may experience some of these symptoms: irritability, headaches or stomach aches, overly concerned with health, easily tired, loneliness, hopelessness, distrust of hosts, withdrawal from people and activities, painful homesickness, lowered work performance.

Although culture shock is uncomfortable, it is a normal part of the adjustment process. There are a number of ways to deal with culture shock.

Check out this excellent article written by Dr. Carmen Guanipa and find out how you can combat culture shock.

Culture Shock - by Dr. Carmen Guanipa

The term, culture shock, was introduced for the first time in 1958 to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment. This term expresses the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment, and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate. The feeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place.

We can describe culture shock as the physical and emotional discomfort one suffers when coming to live in another country or a place different from the place of origin. Often, the way that we lived before is not accepted as or considered as normal in the new place. Everything is different, for example, not speaking the language, not knowing how to use banking machines, not knowing how to use the telephone and so forth.

The symptoms of cultural shock can appear at different times. Although, one can experience real pain from culture shock it is also an opportunity for redefining one's life objectives. It is a great opportunity for leaning and acquiring new perspectives. Culture shock can make one develop a better understanding of oneself and stimulate personal creativity.

Symptoms:
Sadness, loneliness, melancholy Aches, pains, and allergies Changes in temperament, depression, feeling vulnerable, feeling powerless Identifying with the old culture or idealizing the old country Trying too hard to absorb everything in the new culture or country Lack of confidence Developing stereotypes about the new culture Longing for family	Preoccupation with health Insomnia, desire to sleep too much or too little Anger, irritability, resentment, unwillingness to interact with others Loss of identity Unable to solve simple problems Feelings of inadequacy or insecurity Developing obsessions such as over-cleanliness Feelings of being lost, overlooked, exploited or abused

Stages of Culture Shock

Culture shock has many stages. Each stage can be ongoing or appear only at certain times. The first stage is the incubation stage. In this first stage, the new arrival may feel euphoric and be pleased by all of the new things encountered. This time is called the "honeymoon" stage, as everything encountered is new and exciting.

Afterwards, the second stage presents itself. A person may encounter some difficult times and crises in daily life. For example, communication difficulties may occur such as not being understood. In this stage, there may be feelings of discontent, impatience, anger, sadness, and feeling incompetence. This happens when a person is trying to adapt to a new culture that is very different from the culture of origin. Transition between the old methods and those of the new country is a difficult process and takes time to complete. During the transition, there can be strong feelings of dissatisfaction.

The third stage is characterized by gaining some understanding of the new culture. A new feeling of pleasure and sense of humor may be experienced. One may start to feel a certain psychological balance. The new arrival may not feel as lost and starts to have a feeling of direction. The individual is more familiar with the environment and wants to belong. This initiates an evaluation of the old ways versus those of the new.

In the fourth stage, the person realizes that the new culture has good and bad things to offer. This stage can be one of double integration or triple integration depending on the number of cultures that the person has to process. This integration is accompanied by a more solid feeling of belonging. The person starts to define him/herself and establish goals for living.

How to Fight Culture Shock

The majority of individuals and families that emigrate from other countries have the ability to positively confront the obstacles of a new environment. Some ways to combat stress produced by culture shock are:

Develop a hobby
Remember, there are always resources that you can use
Learn to be constructive. If you encounter an unfavorable environment, don't put yourself in that position again. Be easy on yourself.
Relaxation and meditation are proven to be very positive for people who are passing through periods of stress
Maintain contact with your ethnic group. This will give you a feeling of belonging and you will reduce your feelings of loneliness and alienation
Recognize the sorrow of leaving your old country. Accept the new country. Focus your power on getting through the transition.
Establish simple goals and evaluate your progress.
Don't forget the good things you already have!

Be patient, the act of immigrating is a process of adaptation to new situations. It is going to take time
Don't try too hard.
Learn to include a regular form of physical activity in your routine. This will help combat the sadness and loneliness in a constructive manner. Exercise, swim, take an aerobics class, etc.
Maintain contact with the new culture. Learn the language. Volunteer in community activities that allow you to practice the language that you are learning. This will help you feel less stress about language and useful at the same time.
Allow yourself to feel sad about the things that you have left behind: your family, your friends, etc.
Pay attention to relationships with your family and at work. They will serve as support for you in difficult times.
Find ways to live with the things that don't satisfy you 100%.
Maintain confidence in yourself. Follow your ambitions and continue your plans for the future.
If you feel stressed, look for help. There is always someone or some service available to help you.

Written by Dr. Carmen Guanipa

Dept. of Counseling and School Psychology,
San Diego State University

Dealing with Culture Shock:

What are the situations that confuse or irritate you the most in the new country?

Are you misunderstanding the host people's treatment of you? Where can you find more information about this aspect of the culture? Behavior that seems rude to you may not be intended as rude. Polite customs are different for each culture. When situations seem senseless, remember the hosts may be following social rules unknown to you. Ask questions about social customs.

If you are still bothered by a situation, find ways to minimize the irritation. Is the situation necessary? If not, you may be able to avoid or minimize involvement. Example: If you think you are standing in line and people aren't respecting the line - ask someone what the proper etiquette is as in many Asian countries they don't stand in lines.

What do you miss the most that was enjoyable in your home country?

Look for ways to meet these desires or replace these with something new. For example, if you miss your favorite pasta sauce, check out some of the import stores and see if they have it. If not there are always care packages from home.

Develop friendships with local people and people from your own country.

At times the friendships with culturally different people will seem very taxing. That is why it is important to have people from your own country or area to spend time with. This helps you re-energize for interacting cross-culturally. However, isolation in either group alone causes more adjustment problems.

Talk to people from your country about it.

There is a major difference between talking about it and dwelling on it. Be careful who you associate with because some foreigners that are overly negative about the country are those that are known as "lifers" and although they are always negative about the culture and the opportunities they still choose to stay there... every wonder why they don't just leave? Get in touch with the reasons you went there in the first place and limit your exposure to negativity.

Learn the language.

Being able to speak the language, even in a limited capacity, while frustrating to learn, will dramatically change your quality of life. It will also drastically change the way the locals will treat and receive you.

Laugh it off!

Have a sense of humor. Allow yourself to see the humor in misunderstandings or embarrassments. Laughter heals.

Exercise and a nutritional diet also help to reduce stress.

Get off your butt and get out there. You need seratonin and you need some different stimuli. Exercise is a great way of getting out of any funk whether it be culture shock or otherwise.

Remember that THIS IS NORMAL.

Remember that some culture shock is a normal part of adjusting to a new country. However, the more severe symptoms mean the adjustment process is blocked and you need help to move into a more comfortable stage.

Find a place where you feel comfortable and spend time there.

Define the problems.

When problems seem to be building up, mentally step back from them. Divide your problems up, understand each one, and work on them one at a time.

See a doctor.

If headaches and stomach aches become a constant problem, realize this may be a sign of emotional problems, not just physical problems. If medical doctors and medication do not work, it might be time to see a counselor.

Eat well and get some sleep.

It is important to maintain regular life patterns, for example eating meals at regular times and sleeping and exercising regularly.

Why are you there?

When you begin to feel depressed, ask yourself: "What did I expect? Why? Was my expectation reasonable?"

Learn the culture and customs of the country you are in and respect them.

Disregard your old assumptions and expectations. Be open to learning new things. Explore new ways of living and compare these to your own. Become more aware of both your values and attitudes and those of your host country.

Don't be afraid to take risks.

Adjusting to a new culture requires a good amount of re-examination of your own values and outlook. Try to do that as you live in the new culture.

Remember that although at times you feel alone and you question your reasons for moving thousands of miles away from your comfort zone, you are presented with an opportunity to grow and develop as you want. You can mould yourself into the person you are with no societal precepts or preconditioned ideas of who you are. Take time to get to know yourself and fully revel in the experience. You are presented with an opportunity to explore another country, another culture and to get in touch with yourself. Embrace the opportunity. A year is a very short period of time.

Good Luck!

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