To understand what culture shock is, you need to remember that your ability to function in the world depends on your being able to read hundreds of signs, to respond to subtle cues, and to behave according to countless explicit and implicit rules. At home, much of what you do in your daily life is automatic and requires little thought. Overseas, the reverse is true, and simple tasks can become difficult. Because you are not always able to understand the messages you receive and cannot always communicate what you mean, you may experience anxieties. When you are confronted with new ways of thinking and acting, including a different value system, you can become disoriented. Your ‘normal’, ‘common-sense’, or ‘logical’ way of looking at things suddenly may not apply. Suffering from culture shock can, at its worst, lead to severe stress and depression. Even a light case of culture shock will manifest as frustration and irritation.
Culture shock usually manifests itself as a cycle of readjustment phases. It's likely you will experience some lows while you're abroad, but the length and severity of these vary for everyone. Fortunately, culture shock is both predictable (it will happen) and manageable (you will survive it). If you are prepared for it, you can do a great deal to control it or at least understand its effect. The best advice may be to remain flexible and open-minded to new things, maintain a sense of humor about the mistakes you will make (and you will make some), and try to integrate as quickly as possible into your new culture. Whatever happens, the program staff are available to help you through rough periods. We encourage students to talk to the on-site staff when they experience problems and not to wait until the problem gets bigger and more complicated. Also, talk with other students on the program, as they may be going through the same issues.
The Stages of Cultural Adjustment
Honeymoon Stage
During the first few days or weeks, there is a sense of excitement and euphoria. There is an anticipation of everything you are about to experience, and a fascination with everything and everyone you encounter. Overall, you are eager to take on the challenges of living abroad.
Irritation and Hostility Stage
The initial excitement you were feeling has worn off. In this stage, you may have feelings of anxiety, anger, irritability and homesickness. You’re tired and overwhelmed about speaking and listening in a foreign language daily. Many academic problems begin in this stage. You might react to your frustrations by rejecting or displaying hostility toward your new environment.
Recovery Stage
The feelings of anxiety and homesickness may not go away, but you learn to adjust to your new surroundings and make the most of your remaining time abroad. This is the gradual adjustment stage. You begin to interpret some of the cultural ques you hadn’t noticed before and question your earlier assumptions about the world. Your sense of humor will also return and you will begin to laugh at misunderstandings and minor mistakes, which may have caused major headaches in the hostility stage.
Acclimation or Adjustment Stage
During this stage, your host community starts to feel like “home”. You will feel a sense of belonging or pride knowing you can live in and adapt to a new culture. Important realizations include getting to know the local people as individuals and not as stereotypes. You’ve formed deep friendships with fellow students and the local people.
Our Advice
- Soon after arriving, you will likely experience the temptation to withdraw into the Dickinson group. You should make a genuine effort to become part of the host culture, creating ties and friendships outside your immediate circle. Opportunities are there from the moment you arrive, but you must take the first step and the second and third.
- Beware of cultural stereotypes! They can operate against you, as well as against the culture of the local people, and prevent you from getting to the rich reality behind the surface.
- Avoid making negative comparisons with how you do things or what you have in your home country. It can be a challenge to understand why things are done differently but try to be patient and figure out what the difference is and why. Remember, you are not going abroad just to find the same things that exist here in your home country or at Dickinson.
- Your experience abroad will not always be a bed of roses, and you may experience great loneliness at first. This is normal. Be patient with yourself! Look for clubs and activity groups which provide opportunities for meeting people and for doing things that you enjoy. Create a routine for yourself that incorporates places in your host community that have become familiar and safe to you. The more in control you feel, the less homesickness stress you may experience.
