How to Survive Culture Shock

What's normal for you could be a shock to others too.

You may be an expat, an accompanying spouse or a student studying abroad. People going abroad often find it difficult to adjust to their host country. Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation that you experience when you leave the familiarity of your home and find yourself in the midst of new surroundings, a strange language and a stranger way of life. While the sound of a new place and the opportunity of change may seem inviting initially, the reality hits once you are actually into it. It may not be possible to make yourself immune to culture shock, but you can invent ways to cope with it.

Instructions

1. Start thinking about the room or house that you have been assigned as your home. Have items in the house that are familiar to you and give a sense of home. This can be your favorite music or a familiar picture. Watch familiar channels on TV, and locate food stores that offer food tasting close to home, at least for a while till you get used to the local food. Creating a home-like atmosphere gives a sense of comfort, security and balance when you start feeling that everything new around you is just too much to handle.

2. Make friends with other expats in your area or office. These people can empathize with your situation and can help you with their own experience in the country. Expressing your confusion and doubts on the new culture and lifestyle to these people can help you not only to vent your feelings but also to obtain a perspective of why things are as they are. While having local friends is important they may not understand or welcome your criticism of their way of life.

3. Engage in activities that get you closer to the host country and culture. This is particularly important if you are an accompanying spouse and are mostly left to your own choices while your partner is off to work. Go sightseeing, join a church, enroll in a tennis club or attend local festivals. Often these activities help you understand the reason behind the culture and customs of the host people. It also gives you an opportunity to enjoy and make new friends.

4. Eat well, take rest and exercise regularly. According to a publication by U.S. Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council, proper rest, diet and regular exercise are important to cope with culture shock stress.

References

• Shelter Offshore: Surviving Inevitable Expat Culture Shock When You Move Abroad
• United States Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council: Security Awareness Overseas an Overview