The Culture Shock video was not at all surprising, possibly because I have experienced culture shock firsthand and therefore I have a sense of empathy for those experiencing it. Perhaps, if you asked me when I was a freshman at UR about my conceptions about culture shock, I may have had a more surprised reaction. You see it on TV shows and you see it in ethnic enclaves in communities of immigrants where they never fully adapted to the new society in which they live, so they do not learn the new language and they do not make friends out side of their comfortable social circles.
Today, after studying abroad in China and interning abroad in Latin America, I think I recognize that I am in an unfamiliar place and use that as motivation to discover where I belong, if I do, in the new society. When I first arrived in China, I stuck with people who were also international, which was not hard as I was in an exchange program in an international university. But as I stepped out of my comfort zone, and put my language skills to use, I found that there were aspects of the society that I never would have discovered had I remained in my privileged bubble. Because the ability to remain a participating member of society while still feeling secure in a new place is privilege. There are people who are totally thrust into a new place where they do not speak the language, nor do they know anyone. That is culture shock in its purest form.
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