Rochelle is French, a rapacious fan of croissants. By volunteering, she finds herself in a remote place, where folks only eat root crops and the nearest croissant eatery is three countries away! Going home could not be more inviting.
Tres mauvais! Rochelle has just entered the world of culture shock.
In its element, culture shock refers to the marked reactions of wrangling with new context or culture. Though not a medical condition, one in culture shock almost always feels loneliness, extreme homesickness, and anxiety.
For what it’s worth, feeling these is natural. Best of all, culture shock can be nascent; one playing it by ear could get through all distinct stages of culture shock.
Every culture shock begins with a fleeting feeling of euphoria over arriving in a different setting. A frustrating stage of irritability comes next, when one is just beginning to acclimate to the new culture. In response, the stranger tries to withdraw from it all and keep to familiar situations.
Wrong moveit procrastinates the adjustment process. One must try to learn as much about this exotic surrounding, by visiting public places for instance. Making new friends native to the land helps a lot. Learning the language as soon as possible is necessary too.
Sooner or later, the stage of gradual adjustment should set in. Often unwittingly, the stranger increasingly becomes familiar to the culture.
Inevitably, the newcomer becomes substantially integrated to the culture, if not bicultural.
Lastly, upon returning to one’s motherland, there comes a re-entry phase. Cathartic as it is, it reminds the traveler how much he or she has transformed.
Others never transcend the shock however, probably because they hadn’t really widened perspectives or had been too condescending of other cultures.
When one still is depressed for months, it’s time to talk to a medical counselor.
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