105 Learning Journal #5

[Stephen Huffnagle]

I've definitely encountered culture shock before, especially when I've got to non-European countries. People's expectations of how they should interact was a little different in Eastern Europe, where it seemed like it was less socially acceptable to talk to people out of the blue. It took a little bit of time for me to adjust and realize that the people were not actually cold, they just did not interact much unless they already knew you. I also experienced culture shock when I was in Belize and Guatemala, where the people were very friendly but I was unequipped to speak with them. My expectations of culture shock were a little bit different, because I expected to adjust much quicker than I actually did.