We experience culture shock because our identities are so enmeshed in the fabric of whatever society in which we have been living and growing up. It's inevitable in some cases. Thus, changing our sense of place by moving to another country for a length of time is physically, mentally and psychologically taxing. Our identities are not entirely our own for they are anchored in part to the place we grew up / live in, to the food that we eat, to the smells we are familiar with, and especially to the friends, families and acquaintances in our lives. Home is not only a physical space. Most people experience culture shock because familiarity is comforting so to be thrust out of one's comfort space is akin to being a child again, unable to command the language and having to navigate a new world from the first step.
My main experience out of the country is the summer I spent studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic. However, I didn't experience any of the symptoms of culture shock with the exception of yearning for home-cooked Korean cuisine. This probably has more to do with my own personality, my state of mind with which I went into a new country, and the relatively short duration of my stay (a month and a half). I had realistic expectations of going abroad (meaning I didn't entertain fantastic notions of what will happen). I immediately separated myself from the other American students on the trip because disassociating myself from that image would help me assimilate myself (at least in my mind) into Prague life. Traveling alone, getting to places that would be difficult to get into if I were with a group, and generally doing the usual activities I would be doing if I were home made the physical and mental transition as smooth as possible. I guess I was able to bypass the four steps of culture shock (honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and mastery) for two main reasons: 1. Most of the people Prague have some working knowledge of English, if you even initiate a conversation in the first place (one Czech value is to mind one's business), 2. I felt a sense of 'mastery' in that I learned through trial and error how to utilize the excellent transportation system; I never felt dependent as a foreigner. This was also a fun exercise because I'd research a place I wanted to go and I'd map out the route and if I reached my destination I'd call it a success.
Truly, having the right mindset (different cultures are the same in their differences) and plunging into the way of life of wherever you're going are the best ways to mitigate culture shock.
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