Learning Journal #5

[Thomas Dennis]

Although I have not experienced culture shock to this point in my life, I have had multiple friends who have. For example, one of my eventual good friends during high school moved to Pennsylvania from Mexico with just a basic knowledge of English, so I was able to see and hear about some of the struggles involved in assimilating into a different culture. Obviously having a different accent makes foreigners stand out a bit, but this difference was never something that affected my friend much. For him, other than actually learning English, the subtle social nuances were most difficult to pick up. However, everyone handles culture shock differently, so it is important not to generalize one person's feelings. I will find out what culture shock feels like when I go to Europe for the first time this summer, but hopefully I will be able to adapt quickly.