How do I adjust to a new culture?

Culture shock is common and can affect even seasoned travelers. If you find yourself experiencing any of the symptoms of culture shock (depression, sleeping difficulties, homesickness, trouble concentrating, an urge to isolate yourself, and irritation with your host culture), just recognize what's going on and try to take some of the following steps to combat these feelings until they pass.

  • Learn as much as possible from local residents about their culture.

     

  • Keep in touch with other American students. If you are directly enrolled in a foreign university, find out if there is a local hangout for American students. It can sometimes be helpful to meet with them and share experiences. Avoid letting these become gripe sessions, however.

     

  • Keep yourself busy doing things you enjoy. When you have free time, visit museums, go to movies, and tour local sites of interest.

     

  • Keep in touch with your family and friends at home. Letters, phone calls, or e-mail contact will make you feel less isolated.

     

  • Try to keep your long-range goals in mind. Experiencing a new culture will inevitably involve some frustration and feelings of loneliness as you leave the familiar and incorporate the new, but they don't last forever.

     

  • Don't overdo any of the preceding suggestions or you risk never making the adjustments to your new environment which are requisite to your purposes for being overseas.

     

  • In sum, since there is almost no way to avoid culture shock completely, you should try to accept it as something everyone goes through. Keep in mind that students returning from study abroad often describe working their way through culture shock as a necessary maturing experience, something that provided insight into their own cultural assumptions.

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    The contents of this handbook are intended for the use of students, advisers, and administrators. The contents of this handbook are the property of EducationDynamics and author Bill Hoffa, and are protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.