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Tips Beasiswa
Dealing with Culture Shock
By Nataviguides.com
There’s no simple formula for dealing with culture
shock. But we’ve gathered some tips that should make
your transition a bit easier.
“One of the hardest and most important things about
going abroad is not to harp on the fact that your host
country is different from America, but to explore and
enjoy those cultural differences. Only when I was able
to do that did I find myself truly engaging with the
amazing opportunities the year gave me.”
Political Science major,
Study abroad in Great Britain,
Columbia University ‘03
Culture shock comes directly from an initial lack of
understanding of—and an inability to fit into—your new
culture. No matter where you end up, your new home will
inevitably be very different from your old one, and
culture shock will hit you one way or another. And it
can be stressful to realize that what you expected of
your host country is not the same as the reality that
greets you when you arrive.
The first thing you should do is expect to feel culture
shock, even before you leave home. Expect to be
surprised by the people you meet and the customs that
fill their lives. Expect to hate some of them and be
envious of many others. Most of all, expect to feel like
for the first time in your life, everything around you
is completely new, strange, and unfamiliar—and you
aren’t going back home in a week.
Do your research before you leave home. Educate yourself
about the place you’re visiting through whatever means
possible. The more you understand your new home before
you get there, the smoother your adjustment will be. If
you’re visiting a country where English is not the
primary spoken language, practice and study the local
language as much as you can before getting on the plane.
The ability to freely communicate with the people around
you will help you adjust all the more quickly.
As you try to adjust to your new place, allow yourself
two things: The time and the permission to mess up. It’s
simply not possible to jump cold into a new culture and
fit right in, no matter how much research you’ve done or
how hard you try. Take the time to observe how people
around you carry out their day-to-day lives and see how
you might need or want to better fit in. You don’t have
to imitate everything you see around you, nor should you
want to. That said, the more you adapt to the local way
of life, the more you'll enjoy your experience. Nobody
likes an arrogant American who doesn’t seem to care
about local customs or standards.
KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR! Always. You may very well find
yourself to be the target of jokes or the fool in an
awkward situation: Choking on an unchewed piece of squid
sushi with half of it sticking out of your mouth? Don’t
take the laughter you hear from your new Japanese
friends personally. Don’t take much personally, in fact,
if you can help it. Keep your mind open and be ready to
laugh at yourself. The less seriously you take yourself,
the easier your transition will be.
Finally, be ready for anything. You never know when
you’ll find yourself running into a local tradition that
the guidebooks and histories and orientations didn’t
tell you about. Be ready to go with whatever happens,
but also keep your limits in mind. If local customs
include walking on hot coals or eating raw rattlesnake
and you’re just not into that sort of thing,
respectfully decline.
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