Culture Shock In Different Countries free essay sample

Also, the rules about when to eat vary from culture to culture. Many North Americans and Europeans are used to having three mealtimes a day and organize their timetable around them. In some countries, on the other hand, people often do not have strict rules like this-?people eat when they want to, and every family has its own timetable. When people visit or live in a country for the first time, they are often surprised at the differences that exist between their own culture and the culture in the other country. The most cornrow way of comparing two cultures is in terms of their differences-?not heir similarities.For some people, traveling abroad is an exciting experience; for others though, cultural differences make them feel uncomfortable, frightened, or even This is known as culture shock. Here are several things to do in order to avoid culture shock. Learning how to adapt to a new culture 1 . Avoid quick judgments; try to understand people in another culture from their own point of view. 2. Become more aware of what is going on around you, and why. 3. Dont think of your cultural habits as right and other peoples as wrong. 4. Be willing to try new things and to have new 5.Try to appreciate() and understand other peoples experiences. Values. 6. Think about your own culture and how it influences your attitudes and actions. 7. Avoid having negative stereotypes about 8. Show respect, sincerity(?), interest, foreigners and their cultures. Acceptance and concern for things that are important to other people. Understanding and appreciating cultural differences can help people avoid misunderstandings, develop friendships more easily, and feel more comfort able when traveling or living abroad. Speaking What kind of difference in the cultures are you expecting between China and Canada?How do you think culture shock? ) I think western countries will be more religious than China, and Im looking forward to visiting a church there. Also, business in western countries will be more formalbased on contracts ,and a lot less o n connections. I think that will be a bit hard to get used to And, I think that life will move at a faster pace in western countries. I am not really looking forward to that, but I think Ill probably adjust after a while. I am certain that the major differences Ill encounter-perhaps in mindset or attitude ,but I think Ill have to experience those things before I can really understand them.Culture Shock in the U. S. A My friend Dry. Dong had a wonderful chance to go to Seattle to present a paper at a professional meeting. Having attended my course in Intercultural Communications, he consulted me to review some of the cultural differences he might experience. I also gave him the phone number of a friend of mine who lived in the area. When he got back, we met to review his experience. Dry. Dong told me that the course information had helped him. He experienced the typical stages of culture shock. He arrived expectant and happy and enjoyed his first days very much.At the medical conference, he felt quite confident in his area of research and was able to perform well in his presentation. But after a few days, he began to feel uncomfortable. His medical English was fine, but the social interaction skills were different, and he was unsure of the cues and the communication style. He worried more and more that he was misunderstanding simple English greetings and table talk conventions. When someone greeted him with, Hi, hows it going? he thought they had asked him where are you going? and answered with the name of the conference hall, only to get a quizzical stare room them.At a western style dinner, a colleague asked, So were you enjoying the States? he thought he heard, how are you enjoying your steak? and answered that he was eating chicken, not beef. That time, they smiled, and patiently repeated the question, then both laughed at the error. Such misunderstandings and miscommunication were minor. But for Dry. Dong, they were the beginning of a sense of i cultural confusion. By the end of the meetings, he felt a deep sense of cultural stress and was worn out from having to pay attention to so many new expressions and ways of dealing tit things. He felt his handshake was not as firm as Americans, found that people reacted unusually when he modestly insisted his English was not good after they complimented him, didnt know how to accept dinner invitations properly and therefore missed out on going to several lunches, and so on. Eventually, he was so bewildered that he felt the full impact of culture shock. What is culture shock and why does it occur? The term was coined about 50 years ago by the Swedish scholar, Calvert Berg. His seminal article , Culture Shock: Adjustment to New Cultural Environments (1960) as been reprinted and revised for many textbooks and magazines.He called it the occupational disease of people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad. His use of the word disease is a pun, because it implies that it is like an ailment, with its own symptoms and cure, but also that the root cause is also a feeling of dish ease, or unsettled uneasiness. Think back on your own experience. Have you ever moved from one context to another? Many students feel some of this adjustment shock when they change from one school to another, or move from a small town to a big city.The list of sensations one feels in new surroundings often includes: * Feeling like an outsider, feeling unsure of oneself or even feeling * Sensing that ones language skills arent good enough, missing stupid; jokes, colloquial phrases, references to TV shows Or pop songs Or other cultural insider information; * Feeling uneasy and unsettled, irritable * Feeling lonely and wanting to go and increasingly shorts tempered; home, feeling more and more like a stranger or outcast; overwhelmed, overloaded, daydreaming staring blankly at things or even * Becoming more and more afraid of communicating tarring at nothing; and of making mistakes, worried, anxious. These are all symptoms of initial culture shock. With a new context comes new ways of doing things.So being uninitiated and unsure of what to do, this sense of displacement is often very strong at the beginning. But the good news is that humans are very good at adapting. Though everyone undergoes some degree of psychological stress in transition, after a few weeks or months, we learn how to read our new context. We become aware of the new cues, the new expectations, the new ways of communicating. With some Arial and error, and with a lot of patience with oneself, most people succeed in overcoming culture shock and learn to enjoy their new context. Dry. Dongs visit to the US was only three weeks long, but by the end of the 5-day medical conference, he was already starting to feel more confident.Sure he felt a little foolish about some of the mistakes he had made, but he quickly learned to laugh at his errors and found his colleagues smiled with him. This broke down the barriers to communication and helped him build some good professional relationships. And after the conference, he contacted he family I had referred him to and had a very nice time visiting them. There were some new cultural surprises, but he discovered he could better understand and adapt to them. By the time he returned to China, he was feeling quite positive about his American trip, and was glad for the new experiences and new skills it had given him. He had become successful in the initial transitions to a new culture.Though he had gone through some embarrassing or trying culture stresses, each had proven to be valuable learning experiences, and in the end had helped him overcome culture shock. -?TX];fang ? , ? , , F-?if , , ( dish) ( ease ) * nabbingZ L-Fiji*a , , , , , #-outfit Culture Shock in China In opening this essay on culture shock, perhaps it is necessary first to define the term. For the purposes of the following collections of musings, culture shock refers to the experiences of a person who spends an extended period of time in a place other than that of his/her origin. For a person of Canadian origin, such as myself, shock is a very fitting term for the first few days spent in a country as different as China. I will supply many details in order to better exemplify this vague definition.Since I had previously traveled extensively in South East Asia before my arrival in China, the obvious initial differences were not as overwhelming as they may be for other foreigners. However, after coming into direct contact with many people, Chinese custom and culture proved to be greatly different from any other experience, and, quite shocking. My first Chinese interaction, and subsequent shock, was eating a Chinese meal. Everything that I had learned and known about eating practices was not shared knowledge with my new Chinese friends. First, when the meal was roughs out by the waitresses, I was surprised that no empty plates were brought for us patrons. All members of the dinner party proceeded to eat from the same plates. I was further surprised when one gentleman began stirring a dish of noodles with the chopsticks that had been in his mouth. Shortly after I began to eat the hot, delicious meal, some of my hosts raised glasses to welcome me. Following the toasts, cigarettes were then passed out. These things were very alien to me. In Western countries, once hot food is served to guests, we never slow down our eating, and certainly never stop impolitely to enjoy a cigarette. Westerners eat their food when it is as hot as possible, often if and when the food becomes too cool, the food is left for the garbage. After my first meal in Jinn, was shown to my new home. I had prepared myself for the mild shock I received when first viewing my apartment, so I really did not mind the humble surroundings. Was, however, somewhat surprised with the lack of hot water in my bathroom and the kitchen. Perhaps the most shocking quality of my new home came about four hours after my arrival. At 6:00 am, I heard a very disturbing cry under my editor window. I peered out to see two large roosters calling to the rising Sun. Not only Was surprised that such animals live in a city, but more amazed that the birds neighbors would tolerate their existence. My first morning in Jinn was perhaps more shocking than the evening before. As walked around the campus of Jinn University, I became quite confused.Everywhere, I saw young women walking together, hand-in-hand. As waked on, I saw many young fellows walking the same way, or even with arms around one another. When such behavior is seen in a Western country, it indicates to those around them that the two boys or two girls are more than friends. After my stroll around the campus, I was escorted to the downtown. Words can not express my amazement. It began with an unbelievably crowded bus ride. A bus in Western countries with so many people, would be illegal. The third day that I spent in Jinn was a Saturday. I asked some of the students that had met what they planned to do this night. Was surprised at their plans and suggestions.They informed me that they never go out to a bar or any other such establishment outside of the university. Further, no one spoke with even had any idea of the places or activities that mentioned. So, went to a Jinn University dance party. I could not believe the surroundings. The music, dancing style, and everything that I saw was completely foreign to me. And, again, saw men getting uncomfortably close. One young man even asked me to dance a tango. I politely declined his offer. Time flew by. It was soon 10:30, and the dance was over. I asked some students what they would do after the dance. They answered that they would go to bed. I could not believe the brevity of the Chinese night life.I have long been accustomed to beginning my Friday or Saturday evening at 1 0:00, and maybe getting home (if I got home at all) at about 5:00 am. Perhaps the most shocking but pleasantly shocking, aspect of China is the friendliness of Chinese people. I have often seen TV strangers meet, and immediately strike up a conversation. Have seen people push one another on the street or on the bus. Neither one ever get upset. Have noticed that vegetables and flowers have sprouted up around the city, and no one steals or steps on them. I have been welcomed in many peoples homes ND institutions to such hospitality almost want to cry. Have seen children and young women out at night, with little to worry for their personal safety.The Western decadent culture, in itself, strictly limits any night time behavior. In large cities such as New York, London, Madrid, and even Toronto, all people must concern themselves and their family with the threat of guns and vile criminal activity. To me, Jinn is a huge city, but shockingly safe, and its inhabitants shockingly kind. Thank you. Culture Shock in Japan What is culture shock? The definition Of culture shock is A condition Of infusion and anxiety affecting a person suddenly exposed to an alien culture or environment. Food The first time experienced culture shock was ten years ago. It was my first time visiting Japan, at that time I didnt speak any Japanese, so I joined a group tour. Till remember one night we had a wonderful dinner with all kinds of dishes on the table. I was starving, due to a long walking at daytime; therefore I grabbed a bowl of brownish soup and hurried to drink it. A lady sat right next to me asking What kind of soup is that? and replied Ann. , it tastes like miss soup, but a little bit salty. All of a sudden the tour guide shout out loud DO NOT drink that brownish stuff, its not soup, its soy sauce after hearing that, was close to tear. I murmured You should have told us earlier, I had already finished it all. Last year was my second time visiting Japan, and I experienced more shocks.Language You might hear that many Japanese words are taken from English. When I was in Japan I tried to make my English sound like Japanese so people could understand me. For instance. Instead of saying orange had to say Lionel; volunteer blanket. If you want to know whether this person wants Macdonald or Burger King you could say Macdonald? Baking? Japanese people even take the original American movie titles and transformer them into Japanese. So if you ask Japanese people Have you ever seen the movie Mission Impossible? , they might look puzzled and say en? . But if you say Mission impossible they would respond Oh! YES! Good movie.Sometimes the English words in Japan may not keep the original meanings. One time a friend of mine told me she lived in a mansion. Was shocked and I reacted Wow, you live in a mansion, you must be very very rich. Later on I mound out that mansion in Japan meant apartment. Japanese people like to response with short sentences to show that they are really into your conversation. Let me give you an example. Concussion, I didnt go to school yesterday. He. I went shopping instead. Hawaii. Then I saw a dog on the street enemy. And the dog bit me. IEEE hush! Sometimes felt like talking too machine. Transportation Every morning you can see passengers crowded the platform.So in Japan there is a special kind of people, their job is to push all the passengers into trains, so those people are called bushman. Japanese people are really DOD at getting on crowded trains. Have experienced once that the train was overcrowded and the passengers Were totally jam-packed. Surprisingly some people could still get on the train. These are the tricks that they use. Hold their bags tight; walk backward; take a deep breath; move their hips; finally step in. No one complained about it. Even though really wanted to yell out Stop pushing it is too crowded here, I didnt do it for two0 reasons. Reason # one, wasnt brave enough. Reason # two, I didnt know how to say that in Japanese. Entertainments Japan is a comic books paradise.