Cultural Shock Raheleh Miralami & Dianne Wellems International Students Orientation August 2015

How are you feeling? Everything is fantastic because you are overseas? Let’s do a reality check! “quoted from Reference 2, slide 2 ”

What is a culture shock? EEmotional and physical discomfort that a person feels when move from a familiar cultural environment to an unfamiliar one SStressful period BUT transitional IIts Completely Normal

Symptoms of Culture Shock  Isolation and frustration  Mental fatigue  Lack of motivation  Irritability  Boredom “quoted from Reference 2, slide 4 and Reference 3”

Symptoms of Culture Shock  Seeking company from people of your country  Compulsive eating/drinking  Sleeping a lot  Feeling left out  Home sickness “quoted from Reference 2, slide 4 and Reference 3”

1. Honeymoon Phase Everything is Beautiful  Arrival  Curiosity and fascination “quoted from Reference 1, slide 9 ”

2. Crisis and Negotiation Phase Everything is Ugly  Disappointment  Irritation  Facing problems “quoted from Reference 1, slide 10 ”

3. Adjustment Phase Everything is Quite Funny  Acceptance  Need to survive  Staying or leaving “quoted from Reference 1, slide 11 ”

4. Acceptance Phase Everything is OK  Adaptation  Feeling comfortable  Getting involved  Make friends “quoted from Reference 1, slide 12 ”

The Revised W-Shape Adjustment Model “quoted from Reference 1, slide 8 ”

Obvious differences between home and life in the US  Language  Climate  Education system  Sports  Food  Religion  Making friends  Anything else?

Language  Slangs and street talks “Reference 3 ”

 How are you doing?  What’s up?  That’s cool  Let’s have lunch together sometimes  Uh,um  Filler sounds! American phrase book

Climate

Education system  Arrive on time on classes  Come to class prepared with book, paper, pen  Attend all classes  Class participation  Never use a cell phone  Plagiarism is not allowed

Obvious differences between home and life in the US  Language  Climate  Education system  Sports  Food  Religion  Making friends  Anything else?

1. When natives do something foreign to you 2. When you do something that annoy the people Two Types of Problems: Making Friends ?!?! “quoted from Reference 1, slide 5 ”

Making Friends US cultural norms:  Gender equality  Body language  Physical contact  Manner of dress  Punctuality “Reference 4 ”

Making Friends  Privacy and personal space  Names and forms of address  Waiting in the lines  Using please, thank you and sorry  Direct eye contact with the person talking with

The Revised W-Shape Adjustment Model “quoted from Reference 1, slide 8 ”

How to Cope up with Culture Shock  Be patient  Find something interesting every week  Participate in culturally activities Happening in Omaha- Facebook!  Remember your goals  Organize your day by day  Don’t expect everything to be perfect  Ask for help if you need it  Your health is important “quoted from Reference 3 and Reference 5”

Don’t Fall for Stereotypes American Stereotypes  Fat  Hollywood Sexy  Barely travel  Ignore the world  Religious  Gun crime Americans are from everywhere!

Summing up  Culture shock happens  It may last a semester  Be motivated in learning new cultures  Be patient, things gradually improve  Don’t be afraid to seek help  Its okay to feel like a stranger in a strange land

Personal experience  When did you experience homesick?  What did you do?  Did you recognize it?  Any stories?

“When you leave one home for another there’ll always lessons to be learned.” Kofi Annan

References 1) 2)Culture Shock and its Effects PowerPoint, Queensland Government, Department of Education, training and the Arts, retrieved from UQFjAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fkirwanshs.eq.edu.au%2FSupportandresources%2FF ormsanddocuments%2FDocuments%2FInternational%2FCulture_Shock.ppt&ei=Er 38U7qDGIW6ogTTqIC4Bg&usg=AFQjCNH9xyp1Dno3mBwVuxXsGHgY5mxoyA&sig2 =c3Pz_-KaxpqNPaYr_eNyfw&bvm=bv ,bs.1,d.aWw&cad=rja 3)Fishel, D. (2008). International Student Experience, Columbia Business School. Retrieved from & & 4)Sirizzotti, Carmen N. (2013). Cultural Norms, University of Nebraska Medical Center. 5) have-adjusting-to-a-new-culture-that-differs-markedly-from-their-own