Most people who move to another country experience some form of culture shock. You may work for an organisation which gives you pre-departure or post-arrival support, and it is likely that ways of dealing with culture shock will feature in the information you are given. However, for most other people who move on their own or with their job, little support is available.
The accepted wisdom is that culture shock is a curve, though I prefer to see it as a series of waves. Initially there is a high, when everything is new and exciting, then there is a low where everything seems frustrating, different and perhaps depressing. For many long-term expats, this wave cycle continues for the entirety of their time away from home - with less pronounced peaks and troughs over time.
In this report we’re going to help you identify when you’re in it, and explore ways to get out of it. It is inevitable, but in the greater scheme of things, it really isn’t that bad – and it is easily managed and overcome with a little understanding and some good friends.
Culture shock may happen even when you least expect it. A British friend who I met in Japan subsequently moved to the US and he maintained that his culture shock was far worse in America than in Japan, precisely because he didn’t expect to feel it in America, a culture more similar to his own, less outwardly different and where the language and philosophical base of the culture was similar. Reverse culture shock also happens when you return home, and this is often forgotten about. It can result in initial euphoria at being back, and then low periods of frustration where things don’t work as well as you remember or think they should, and where people are not interested to hear about your travels and experiences. You are expected to be the same as you were before you left and fit straight back in.
For me the key to handling culture shock is to recognise that it exists and to manage it. The important components for managing it are home, social life and having something to do. These may sound obvious but they really can help. By home I mean not just living in a house you have found or been allocated, but making it into your home. Invest time and effort in making it into a retreat where you can feel safe and comfortable and can lock the strange world outside at those times when it all gets a bit too much. There is nothing wrong with staying at home, and watching TV or movies and eating food from your own country for a while if that helps to get your balance back.
Friends are vital too. Local friends are always important but they will not understand your culture shock, especially when it makes you critical of their culture and country. They can help you to better understand why things happen the way they do, but sometimes other expats are the best remedy. They’ll be prepared to listen to the complaints and confusion that are so often the symptoms of culture shock, and they’ll be able to support you and give you a sense of perspective based on their own experiences in the country. Even when you return home you may choose to seek out friends who have lived abroad so you can discuss the new way in which you see your home country when you are back there.
Having something to do is also important. Even if you are an accompanying spouse and can’t work, it’s important to do something with the time on your hands. This could involve volunteering, or joining a club. Whatever it is, it should be something that you enjoy and that engages you with others, giving you something else to think about and other people to talk to. While work or other activities may increase frustrations and take you closer to the culture that is causing your culture shock, they will also distract you.
Culture shock is a fact of life for those of us who choose to live as expats, when abroad, or when we get home. Both culture shock and reverse culture shock (repatriation shock!) should be things that you expect, plan for and manage. By having a pleasant home environment, good friends and something to do you can ride the wave and enjoy wherever you are living.
