How to overcome culture shock while studying abroad

To make a decision to live and study in another country, moreover in another continent is not always simple, but will enrich your life in any case for sure. To see new cultures and meet completely new people will help to shape you into a very interesting person. Even then, when you think you know everything you should know about the country you are going to, you have all the necessary experience, still you can feel homesick  and experience that well known phenomena we call cultural shock.

Culture shock can be defined as a sense of disorientation, insecurity and anxiety that we can feel in an unfamiliar environment. The values, behaviours and social customs that are commonly known to us and which we usually take for granted can hardly be used in our new environment and this can make us feel insecure.

What should I expect? How do I prepare? Can I even prepare to avoid a culture shock? These are all issues that occupy us when we leave or decide on leaving a well-known place.

Even when we are back to our well known surroundings, after returning from our annual vacation, summer or winter, where we spent 7 or 10 days away, we often experience a kind of shock. We come back to some  kind of reality blocked because we were in a completely different environment. This is quite normal behaviour because our body needs some time to process new changes.  As I moved I needed time to adapt, but then again the time to adapt from the previously well known environment. It took me a couple of weeks to adapt to the food and the environment from which I originated. My first encounter with Beijing was unbelievable. Everything seemed so huge and very modern. Before I travelled I studied China a lot. I read everything I could get my hands on, to get to know more about its culture, tradition, history and everything else also, but still, when I got to Beijing I was certainly surprised!

How to overcome culture shock?

Here are some suggestions to make you more aware of culture shock and make it easier to manage:

1. You need to keep your mind as open as possible.
2. Do your best to learn the local language.
3. Get acquainted with the culture of the country you come across, the behaviour of people, the tradition, habits.
4. Try to get to know more about people in your new environment.
5. Do not assess the culture on the basis of getting to know only one or two persons.
6. Try to achieve a balance or a sense of stability in your life.
7. And, I would say, the most important advice, keep a sense of humour.

Prepare yourself for the fact that on another continent you will probably not find the foods you prefer at home for the first few days, but you will have the opportunity to meet and try new, similar or completely different things. This attitude allows you to skip a few steps and makes it easier to adapt.  The experience and knowledge you gain will enrich your spirit and your personality, above all, your life.

© Mirela Imsirovic; Edited by Suyin Chan 陈素茵, 20/01/2018