Stereotypes
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A characteristic that has been given to a group
of people.
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These characteristics are generally oversimplified.
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Stereotypes are not always true and are learned
conceptions of people.
Culture Shock
Culture Shock: How charming things can turn into a nightmare!
“The definition of culture shock? When things that were quaint and charming
when you arrived in a country suddenly seem stupid and backwards, that's
culture shock.”
JustLanded.com
Culture Shock can be broken down into 4 phases:
Honeymoon phase
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First Period where the differences between
cultures seem romantic, cute or funny.
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The person is generally happy with the decision
to embark on the adventure and is enjoying leaning about the new culture.
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New food, new life, new people, new language; it
all seems so exciting and wonderful.
Like new music, at the beginning you want to listen to a song over and
over again and when it is on the radio you turn it up.
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This
period is full of observations and new discoveries. Like most honeymoon
periods, this stage eventually ends.
Negotiation phase
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All good things must come to an end; W that
Adele song is really getting old and you want nothing more to do with it.
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This part usually comes after about 3
months.
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Those romantic differences that you noticed in
the beginning are now going to be unavoidable and cause you to feel anxiety,
frustration or stress.
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Now you
start to notice the language barriers and the stark differences between
cultures, you start to disconnect and even resent the culture.
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Funny
Examples of French Culture Shock
1. WOW! All this CHEESE and YOGURT! How will we ever get
to try it all?
(okay, can we not get anything like CHEDDAR? Is there
*ANY* cheese that *ISN'T* creamy and white?)
2. How nice it is to be forced to relax on Sundays,
since everything is closed.
(We're out of MILK? And we can't run to Wal-Mart and GET
some? AAAARRRGGGHH!!!!)
3. All the food is so subtle and complex- what a blend
of flavors and tastes!
(is there NOTHING SPICY in this whole country? I WANT
BUFFALO WINGS!!!)
4. How neat- everyone takes a 2 hour break for lunch.
That's a great idea to recharge in the middle of the day.
(okay, I have to wait HOW LONG to make a deposit at my
bank? I can't run ANY errands over the only time of day that I have open?)
5. I can only use the bank branch where I opened my
account to make deposits and withdrawals? That's nice- they are being so
personal.
(I can only use ONE BRANCH to make a deposit? But
they're closed on Monday and I need to deposit this money)
6. No American fast food restaurant except McDonald's?
That will be WONDERFUL- we'll have home cooked meals every day for lunch and
dinner and not eat out so much and have more nutritious food!
(okay, I would KILL for a Taco Bell Burrito, a
hamburger from Wendy's, a Whopper, or a Chik-fil-a sandwich. And don't EVEN get
me started about longing for Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, or MoJo's Chicken
wings!)
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The
language barrier may become a major obstacle in creating new relationships:
special attention must be paid to one's and others' culture-specific body language signs, linguistic faux pas,
conversation tone, linguistic nuances and customs, and false friends.
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Start to feel isolated or lonely due to
differences.
Adjustment phase
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Around 6 months to a year.
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One grows accustomed to the new culture and
develops routines.
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One knows what to expect in most situations and
the host country no longer feels all that new.
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The culture begins to make sense, and negative
reactions and responses to the culture are reduced.
Mastery phase
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In the mastery stage assignees are able to
participate fully and comfortably in the host culture.
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Mastery does not mean total conversion; people
often keep many traits from their earlier culture, such as accents and
languages.
Reverse Culture Shock
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Occurs when returning to your home country.
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At first you are extremely happy to be with
your friends and family and in your culture.
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You have become accoustomed the the new country
and have a hard time readjusting.
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Your friends and family from home don’t
understand your experiences and aren’t interested in hearing about every detail
of your experience.
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You feel out of place and isolated once again.
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