Activity 11. Culture Shock

Part 1. Critical Reflection

There is not enough preparation that makes you feel ready to fully undertake an international exchange experience. You can read about the country in which you will be living for the next several months, research about their culture and even ask people that have been there before, but none of it comes close to the actual experience of moving to a foreign country. It is a stressful experience; it can cause a lot of anxiety, but also a lot of excitement and expectations. All in all, it’s an unforgettable experience worth living.

Once you arrive in the foreign country in which you’ll be living for the next several months, you might notice that it’s very different from where you come from. Maybe you’ll notice that they do things differently, that they act and react in ways that you haven’t seen before or even that the way in which they think is completely different to yours and your country. This is called culture shock. Culture shock is defined by Dictionary.com as “a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange or foreign social and cultural environment”. There are many different factors that contribute to culture shock such as climate, food, language, dress, social roles, rules of behaviour and values. Like we mentioned, some of these or even all of these can be very different from country to country and they can create a lot of stress and confusion to someone that is not accustomed to them, such as a foreigner.

When faced with this situation, it’s important to know that this is a very common experience that almost everyone goes through when they visit a foreign country. In fact, it happened to me almost a year ago, when I went in exchange to Paris. I was very excited about the experience but also very nervous. It was the first time I travelled to France and I didn’t know what to expect. I was going on my own and I didn’t speak the language fluently, so I was worried about not being able to communicate. Plus, I’ve heard a lot of negative things about Parisians, such as them being rude and not liking foreigners. That made me even more nervous. Yet, I was determined, I wanted to get the most out of this experience and so I did. And yes, I had my fair share of culture shocks: people were indeed different from what I was accustomed back in Mexico, they weren’t as warm and attentive, for instance. But not all of it was negative, actually, there were plenty of positive things that I really enjoyed and profited from and even miss today. It was definitely a challenge to be able to communicate in a foreign language and to establish good relationships with people from a different cultural background, all of that added to the fact that I missed my country and my family. But this experience made me grow as a person and open up to different cultures, which made it completely worth it. In fact, I want to have more experiences like it in the future.

All in all, it’s important to be aware of this situation and know that it’s something that can happen to anyone. However, we shouldn’t let this hinder us from getting international experiences, going on exchanges or travelling, because, after all, what you gain from it outweighs its negative aspects. Experiences like this help us grow, personally and professionally, they help us develop new skills and they open us up to so many possibilities that have a positive impact on our lives.

Part 2. An article relevant to the topic

I chose the following article titled “Why Culture Shock Is Good for You?” by Work the World.

This is a relevant article related to the topic because it not only explains what culture shock is and common elements that contribute to feelings of culture shock, but it also demonstrates, using different studies, the 6 distinct phases of culture shock. Yet, the reason why I find this article so important and relevant is that it explains why culture shock is actually a positive thing that helps us develop as human beings and offers advice to overcome this type of situation.