To say it simply, culture shock is the
act of being shocked by a new culture. Need a little more info?!
Check out what we consider to be the four stages of culture
shock.
The Honeymoon Period
Everything around you feels exciting and
exhilarating. You want to see and experience all that the new
culture has to offer. Days go by quickly as you get settled into
your new surroundings and meet new friends.
Signs that you’re a
Honeymooner:
- You’ve been taking over 200 pictures daily
- You keep forgetting to call home to check in
- You have tons of new Facebook friend requests
The Withdrawal Period
You’ve started to settle into your new lifestyle
but begin to miss small things about home: 24 hour convenience
stores, the English language, and even Mom and Pop! When you find
yourself in uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations you may not have
as much patience as you did when you first arrived, which may cause
you to criticize the new culture you are experiencing.
Signs that you're withdrawn:
- After being in an uncomfortable situation you’ll find yourself
going on a rant about everything wrong with the country for a solid
30 minutes
- You call home more than you did when you lived there
- You start to count down the days until you come back home
The Adjustment Period
With the Adjustment period comes the beginning of
your assimilation into the local culture. You’ll no longer find
yourself cursing the peculiarities about the culture that you found
frustrating just a few weeks earlier. In fact, you start to mold
your daily routine around the local lifestyle. You’ll even begin to
say things like…”I wish they had this back home.”
Signs that you’ve adjusted:
- You start to call home to update your family on what you’ve
seen instead of how much you miss them
- You plan your days around the "siesta" and even take part
in the ritual
- You don’t think twice before saying "Hello" in the local
language
The Final Period- Adaptation
When you hit the adaptation period you will feel a
hint of déjà vu from your first week abroad. By this point you will
have your own local spots where you love to eat and hang out. Your
embarrassment about speaking the local language will virtually
disappear and you may even start to picture yourself returning to
the destination later on in your life whether it’s to visit, live,
or study abroad again!
Signs that you’ve adapted:
- Instead of looking forward to the day you return home, you
begin to dread it’s arrival
- You’ve made friends with natives of the country
- After a long weekend trip you say, “I can’t wait to get home,”
but are referring to the city you are studying abroad in, not the
United States
Keep in mind, not everyone will
experience all stages of culture shock or in this exact
order.