A trip to another country makes any person anxious, truly fascinated and eager to explore new territories cultures and habits. Everything seems to be different, unusual and gripping. At first, people are ready to accept all these changes and they are full of optimism and enthusiasm. They treat the process of adjusting to a new country as an amazing and adventurous journey. However, sooner or later the situation totally changes. People start to feel as outsiders and start to miss their native land. This period is called cultural shock. According to Kalervo Oberg “Cultural shock tends to be an occupation disease of people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad.” (177) In his article Cultural Shock: Adjustment To New Cultural Environments he singles out three major stages of cultural shock that emerge during the process of adjusting oneself to the life in a new country: the period of enchantment by a new culture, the period of home sickness and the period of adjustment that can be experienced by any person and I will prove it from my own example.
The first stage of cultural shock is called the enchantment by a new culture. Thus, when I first arrived to California, I received a whole spectrum of new and bright emotions. I felt as an explorer of a new perfect land, where I will start a new life, will find new friends. At some point I associated myself with characters from different inspiring films and books, who decide to change their life by moving to a new place. At first everything seems to be ideal: the people are very friendly and helpful, the atmosphere around is rather pleasant. Your task is simply to get acquainted with the language and learn how to orient yourself in a new place. I heard and read a lot about the United States and was filled with a bunch of stereotypes that I was eager to confirm or bust to myself. It is a stage when you “stay in hotels and associate with nationals who speak their language and are polite and gracious to the foreigners” (Oberg, 178). At this stage people rather study the country than try to adapt to it. They visit the country’s most famous landmarks, exhibitions and museums and learn a lot about the country’s history. They taste the country’s national cuisine and visit local bars and cafes. At first, I was really satisfied with everything and had no free time to think about my home and family as the communication via internet seemed to be acceptable and satisfying. I simply enjoyed my new residence and every day I was fully occupied with minor duties. All in all, Oberg notes that this stage usually lasts from a few days or weeks to six months and soon is interchanged by the next phase.
The second stage of cultural shock is opposite to the first one. As soon as you come down from the first stage, you start to feel the differences between your culture and the culture of the host country. This stage can be associated with the homesickness when you miss your native land. At this stage people understand that they have to adjust to a totally different way of life. According to Junsu Xia, “when people are away from home and enter a new environment, they have to come into contact with many new values, new practices and ways of living.” (98) It seems that at this stage people for the first time realize and spot all the differences that exist between their new country and the host country. People begin to suffer from stress and numerous difficulties that were not so vivid and important at first while doing shopping, buying food, finding job, paying rent. Quite often they cannot do these things and face failure. For me, for example, it was not an easy thing to combine studying and working. I had not a stable schedule that changed every week, so, I had to decline a lot of well-paid jobs and found a suitable one only after two months of seeking. Thinking about this problem, Oberg supposes that “this hostility evidently grows out of the genuine difficulty which the visitor experiences in the process of adjustment.” (179) He singles out the problems any person can come across: “maid trouble, school trouble, language trouble, house trouble, transportation trouble, shopping trouble, and the fact that people in the host country are largely indifferent to all these troubles.” (Oberg, 179) People finally understand that they have to start a new life from the very beginning. Everything seems to be so scary and difficult. As a result, people start to criticize the host country, agree with negative stereotypes of the nationality. They criticize everything from the way the people live, spend their weekends, their traditions, interests and customs to their manner of talking, facial expressions and gestures. On the second stage of cultural shock, people are often not satisfied with what they have, as it does not coincide with what they planned and were intended to have. From time to time, they even regret of their choice and want to return to their homes and forget about this bad experience. They start to suffer from anxiety and depression. It is possible to say that at this stage people start to feel helpless. So did I, gradually becoming more aggressive and irritated with the new place of living, often considering my trip as a mistake and having no desire to cope with all the problems that seemed to avalanche on me at the same time. I did not want to talk about my anxieties with my family, as I did not want them to worry, and at the same time, I could not find a trustworthy person to ask for some pieces of advice or help. I felt a stranger in a big unfamiliar city. Indeed, most of the problems that appear at this stage happen on a psychological level. The second stage of cultural shock may last for a long period of time. Furthermore, in some cases, not every person is able to overcome this stage and to move on.
Finally, the third stage of cultural shock is the period of adjustment. According to Oberg, “at this point people are on their way to recovery.” (180) They start to accept the host country with all its positive and negative sights. Most people already find a permanent job and make new friends, usually with the same problems. Only the fact that I befriended a couple of people, who also experienced a cultural shock, helped me to get over it. Having a person with whom you can share similar problems is the easiest way to solve them, as they will always comfort you and give a helping hand. Gradually, I began to accept the American customs and traditions. It was even interesting and exciting to participate in holidays and celebrations that were strange and unclear for me. I was open to new experiences and started to feel differently. The main benefit of this stage lies in the fact that people no longer compare their native land with their host country. They no longer seek for differences and even feel as a part of a new country. They simply enjoy their new place of living, accepting their ups and downs. It is clear, that at the third stage, people become more accustomed to their new place of residence, and each day they show less and less signs of cultural shock.
Works Cited
Oberg, Kalervo. “Cultural Shock: Adjustment To New Cultural Environments”. Practical Anthropology 7 (1960): 177-182. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Xia, Junsu. “Analysis of Impact of Culture Shock on Individual Psychology”. International Journal of Psychological Studies 1.2 (2009): 97-101. Print
