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CULTURE SHOCK
The term
‘culture shock’ describes the emotional upheaval many people
experience when moving from a familiar culture to an unfamiliar
one. Here is how culture shock can progress:
• When you first arrive in the UK, you will probably be excited
about living in another country, meeting new people and starting
your course. Everything will seem new and fascinating.
• After this initial enthusiasm wears off, all the new
experiences may begin to overwhelm you. Things that you found
exciting at first may now seem strange and a little frightening.
Even minor differences, such as being unable to buy your usual
kind of soap, can add to the sense of strangeness.
• You may experience sudden mood changes and strong reactions,
feeling lost, disoriented, and even irritated and resentful.
• Above all, you may wish you were back among the familiar
people and places at home.
All international
students can experience culture shock in some form – even those
coming from countries with very similar lifestyles to those in
the UK. It is important to understand that this reaction is
entirely normal. Here are some ideas that can help.
•
Arrive early
If you can arrange it with your institution, it is worth
arriving about a week before most other students do, so that you
can settle in before things get busy. Many institutions run
special induction programmes for international students in the
week before term begins. A typical induction programme provides
a tour of the college or university, an overview of its
facilities and how to use them, help with registering for your
academic programme, and social events where you can meet other
students and staff. This can help you start to get used to your
new environment.
•
Keep in touch with home
Use the telephone, faxes, e-mail etc to keep in contact with
your friends and family at home. In larger towns or cities with
large international communities, you may be able to find
newspapers from your own country, or at least in your own
language – your college or university may even have some in its
own library. Depending where you are from, you may also be able
to watch satellite television programmes from your country.
• Spend time with
other people from your country
Many international students find that it helps to make contact
with people from a similar background because they understand
what you are going through. Spending time with people from your
country can also be a relaxing break from the ‘strangeness’ of
the UK. You can speak your own language, eat your own foods and
talk about what is going on back home. Many colleges and
universities have a variety of national/cultural societies, as
well as an active international students’ association – ask your
students’ union for details. The students’ union or
international students’ association may also have information
about national or cultural groups outside the institution, in
the town or city.
• Remind yourself
that culture shock is normal & temporary
There is no
way to know how long your culture shock may last; it depends on
your background and your reactions. However, do remember that it
is natural to go through stages of rejecting all that you find –
the food, the clothing, the behaviour patterns, the climate. And
do remember that as time goes on, you’ll gradually reevaluate
all those things and find them more acceptable. |
