1. Before start –
How many people have visited a foreign country (for work or pleasure)?
How many people have lived in a foreign country (for how long)?
How many people have visited Canada before?
Has anyone lived in Canada before?
Why do you think I am making the distinction between visiting and living somewhere?
Why do we want to talk to you about this?
CULTURE SHOCK

2. Definition
Start with a definition – Talk to the people around you about what these words mean to you. Come up with your own definition. We will share them in a few minutes.

3. Definition
“The anxiety and feelings that people have when they have to deal with an entirely different cultural or social environment.” (
Make connection to their definitions (proximity etc.).
Does this sound POSITIVE or NEGATIVE? Why?
How does it work?

4. The Culture Shock Pattern
Research shows that there is a pattern to CS.
Talk through the 4 stages (point out positive vs negative + choices)
Make sure to talk about it being normal (even negatives).
Do you think this is linear with specific times at each stage (point out direction of arrows and circles)? Cycle vs. Linear:
Can you skip stages?
Let’s look at each stage in detail to better understand the process…

5. The Honeymoon Stage Openness Acceptance Trust
Let’s start with the positives at this stage…
Life is great and everything here is fantastic!

6. The Honeymoon Stage Openness Acceptance Trust Suspicion Fear Prejudice
Versus negatives…
I don’t like it here because everything is different and they are doing everything wrong.

7. The Shock Stage Frustration Confusion Tension Embarrassment
When the honeymoon is over…..the next phase is often rather negative.
Give examples:
Laura - Mexico – Initially I loved the warmth and friendliness of the culture. The way people would just pop over to visit without any planning. But as time went by I began to feel frustrated and stresses due to never being able to relax without feeling like I should be well groomed and organized in case someone decided to come over for a visit and mostly likely to stay for a meal. I wanted so much to fit in and be polite but I found it so different from my life over here where we tend to plan our visits allowing for preparation and advance notice. I found it stressful and felt I had to get away and be alone at times.
Jennifer - Japan – I was often confused, frustrated and embarrassed because I didn’t speak the language very well and the cultural customs were very different from Canada.
Ex. – Asking directions: My Japanese was good enough to ask this and understand people’s response, but I would still get lost because people would never tell me they didn’t know where it was, they would always tell me how to get there. I got lost so many times and couldn’t understand why people would tell me the wrong directions. My friend finally told me that Japanese people want to be helpful and will TRY to give you directions, even if they don’t know. They feel they are being polite and helpful. However, to me, this was crazy! Japanese people know to verify directions, or to ask 4 or 5 different people and go with the most popular answer.

8. Inevitable Reactions “I don’t know what’s going on!”
“But in my culture, this is bad manners!”
“Where am I?”
Inevitable reactions to the SHOCK stage…
What is going on in this picture?
Is this bad manners to anyone in the audience? What? Why?
Where is this?
Jennifer in Japan – walking and drinking or eating is rude (I did this!)
Canada – holding a door open (polite)
Would tell my students that if they didn’t do this the PERCEPTION was that they were rude

9. Typical Reactions to Culture Shock
We assume something is wrong with them, not us.
We overvalue our own culture.
We undervalue the new culture. (
A culture is a frame of reference, it is how we make sense of the world around us.
I interpret my experiences through Canadian culture because I am Canadian, but the more cultures I am exposed to, the more my frame of reference widens.
Wrong – You’ll never believe what these people do! (they skate on the canal when it is -30 outside and eat beavertails and drink hot chocolate)
Overvalue – The way we do it is better. (we have festivals in the summer when the weather is better)
Undervalue – I have nothing to learn from the way people do this in the new culture. (this is a waste of time and I am not going to participate)

10. The Adjustment Stage Observe Listen Inquire
The next phase is the adjustment phase…..
The positive responses to this phase are…

11. The Adjustment Stage Observe Listen Inquire Criticize Rationalize
Withdraw
The negative responses are…..
They’re doing it wrong, because……, I won’t participate.
If this is an adjustment phase, then how can we adjust our reactions?
How can we go from negative to positive?

12. Coping with Culture Shock
Dealing with culture shock is a conscious decision! How you choose to handle your reactions will determine how much fun you have in Canada.
We have a choice! Not always an easy one, but a choice nonetheless.
Jennifer in Japan – people taking pictures of her and touching her hair and skin
on a good day – no problem
on a bad day – she would get annoyed
We’re human! We have choices but we are not perfect.

13. Take Care of Yourself!
The adjustment stage is STRESSFUL, so it is important to take care of yourself and use your RESOURCES (friends, family, etc..)
How do you deal with stress? What do you need? What do you like to do?
Just a few ideas…..
Keep in touch with loved ones via Skype, internet etc.
Exercise! Lots of opportunities to be outside in Ottawa, or at a gym.
Check out the local environment – go for a walk in the Byward market for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Get enough sleep – you’ll be working hard and your body needs to rest to regenerate.

14. The Acceptance Stage Rapport Understanding
Next comes the acceptance stage where you have the choice to be …
Positive by developing….

15. The Acceptance Stage Rapport Understanding Alienation Isolation
Or by being Negative, which leads to A + I
…..if you get stuck here, you never feel that you are a part of the new culture

16. The Re-entry Shock Stage
Returning home after growing accustomed to a new culture can produce the same effects as Culture Shock
An idealized view of home
The expectation of total familiarity (that nothing at home has changed while you have been away)
You can go through exactly the same phases.
Often people expect to be able to pick up exactly where they left off.
A problem arises when reality doesn't meet these expectations.
Home may fall short of what you had envisioned, and things may have changed at home: your friends and family have their own lives, and things have happened since you've been gone.
This is part of why home may feel so foreign.
My experience: people are happy to have you back, but life goes on...

17. Review First, we think it is charming.
Then, we think it is crazy or annoying.
Then, we think it is just different. (
Charming – Maple syrup is a symbol of Canada and it’s sweet and delicious.
Crazy/Annoying – It is delicious, BUT how could anyone eat such a sweet and heavy breakfast that has almost no nutritional value?
Different – Everyone eats different things for breakfast, including Canadians. We don’t all eat pancakes everyday.

18. Review the chart
Positives vs negatives
Cycle vs linear
Highlight CHOICES!

19. Questions? Thank everyone for participating and sharing
Enjoy your time in Canada!