Culture shock, the uneasy feeling of disorientation experienced by a person who finds themselves in an unfamiliar culture. The culture video we watched in class was very interesting. I thought that it provided a variety of personal students from the as well as the faculty.
I always thought that culture shock was something that happened initially upon arrival in a different country and culture, but that's not necessarily true.
It was interesting to hear about how different the classroom situation was abroad compared to Richmond for each individual student. There seemed to be several things that most of the exchange student somewhat agreed on. Most of them felt that their school workload had increased and others were surprised by how much students were expected to participate in class. Of course, we can't generalize that classes abroad are easier or require little work compared to Richmond. It's just different, not easier or harder.
Some of the students in the video talked about their first week at the University of Richmond. It was exciting at first when they were in a new country and experiencing new things. I believe the homesickness, or recognizing significant differences with cultures came after. It's funny how you end up missing trivial things about your home the most.
I experienced some culture shock when I went to India during summer 2010. Everyone in America is pretty much accustomed to saying "goodbye" or "see ya" or whatever before hanging up over the phone, correct? Something that really surprised when I was India was that over the phone, people rarely said "goodbye" before hanging up. I was a bit younger before and less culturally aware of things, so I remember when my uncle had "hung up" on me on the phone without saying "goodbye" and I was a little irritated. As an American, I consider it rude to do something like that, but that's pretty normal in India. My Korean friend told me it was also common in Korea.
Also, holding the door open for someone behind you in India is considered odd behavior. I held the door open once at a bowling alley and people just kept walking right on through (I'm guessing they thought I worked there?).
It's interesting that all these small gestures can be interpreted differently among varying cultures. I think the only way to deal with culture shock is to learn as much as you can about the country you want to visit or the culture you want to immerse yourself in beforehand. It doesn't mean you will avoid culture shock, but it can soften the blow.
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