Culture Shock has been described briefly as the experience of foreignness. It is an experience and as such, each person will experience it a bit differently. Yet there are some common threads that we'll look at. a more complete definition says culture shock is a feeling of confusion, doubt, or nervousness caused by being in a place that is very different from what you're used to. It doesn't sound so good does it? A person experiencing culture shock feels a general unease that can range from being uncomfortable with the new situation, to hating everything.

Culture shock is something that you get through so don't panic. There is a way to get through it. When we Enter a new environment we feel uncertain about ourselves. The usual signs of orientation and belonging do not exist. We don't know quite who we are without the familiar social context, and the way people in the new place behave seems all wrong. Perhaps the most common way to express culture shock is by saying, I feel homesick.

The symptoms can include tiredness, inability to make decisions, anger, sleeplessness, or sleeping too much loss of appetite or eating too much fear or anxiety, or even difficulty concentrating. How can you be prepared for culture shock and manage culture shock, especially if it hits you severely? There are things you can do to help you through first that's Look at a model that talks about the transition experience. On the left and the right we see engagement and re engagement. Both are characterized by feeling settled. Socially we belong.

We are part of an in group. We have friends, we know what's going on and who's who. And we are known. We have commitments we are involved. We know what to do when and our behavior matches the larger groups behavior. As we move into the leaving stage, several things are happening.

Were celebrated. There are farewells and we get extra attention. There's also disengaging starting to relinquish roles and loosen ties. And there's so sadness and even feelings of denial and rejection. It's quite a mix of feelings that we face at this stage and it's generally unsettling. In the midst of transition, we experience chaos.

We feel status list. No one knows us. Well, that is they may know my name, but they don't know me. We have to initiate relationships. problems seem bigger than they really are. There's a lack of structure to life and things don't seem clear.

We may experience anxiety. There's lots of trying to figure things out and lots of decisions to make. Then we come to entering. We are in the resettling process, but it takes time. There's still lots of learning going on. We look for a mentor to explain things to us.

We aren't certain who to trust we still feel on the edge It's a period of observation, learning by watching others, we are in a process of introduction. Others are getting to know us. And it's a time of vulnerability. We have to take risks to be able to continue entering. Over time we do feel settled again. Again, we are secure and affirmed in our place, our roles and our person.

So how can you move to reengagement more quickly? Here are some pointers. First of all, identify support groups. We'll talk about this more in the next lecture. But support groups are very important to helping you succeed. Don't resort to escapist strategies such as eating or drinking too much, watching too much TV or spending all your time on chat or Facebook.

Maintain discipline. Spend time with people. Don't allow yourself to be isolated. I recommending joining some group in the first week. Whatever you are interested in, whether sport or drama, or the student housing Council, or take on a small campus job that allows you to be with other people. It can be hard to make friends in the US.

But if you are interacting naturally, it will be easier to be aware of your feelings, reflect or journal or spend time with a friend talking. Monitor your feelings and if you want to talk to someone about them, go to your international students office and let them know how you're feeling. Get physical exercise and enough sleep and eat a healthy diet. Those are very basic, but they're important to getting through first month with healthy transition, take time off. don't study 24 seven. If you want to watch a little bit of TV each evening, do that.

If you want to go to places on the weekend, do that. Keep good mental health habits, which includes giving yourself a break. Going through culture shock is not all negative. It's an opportunity to learn about how you handle transition. And handling your transition is a skill that you'll need in the future. When you take your first job, it's a transition.

And they'll do many more. Some will experience very mild culture shock to the point that if someone asked, you'd say, Now, I didn't have culture shock. Is that good? Well, it might feel good in the sense that you're not suffering But it's not necessarily good. It can mean that you aren't as sensitive to things around you. And you may need to learn to be more sensitive to others.

Some of you may experience strong culture shock to the point of feeling depressed. If so, seek out help understand that culture shock is very normal. And having someone to talk to who has gone through it and survived will help you to know that you will get through it and survive and thrive. A positive aspect of culture shock is that it actually helps one to adapt better in the long run to their new environment. Because one examines what is happening more deeply. In your external resources, there is a link to an excellent talk on YouTube by an Israeli student at Columbia University.

Make sure you watch that. It'll help you to know what he experienced and what he learned about Americans in the process. You'll enjoy it. He's fun.