Shock Culture Shock Essay

A sudden change in one’s surroundings can result in culture shock. Culture shock refers to the anxiety and surprise a person feels when he or she is discontented with an unfamiliar setting. The majority of practices or customs are different from what a person is used to. One may experience withdrawal, homesickness, or a desire for old friends. For example, when a person goes to live in a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, they may experience culture shock. Sometimes it is the result of losing their identity. In the article “The Phases of Culture Shock”, Pamela J. Brink and Judith Saunders describe four phases of culture shock. They are: Honeymoon Phase, Disenchantment Phase, Beginning Resolution Phase, and Effective

Cultural shock is a common feeling a person experiences when transitioning into a completely different environment and living situation. Throughout the world, immigrants experience many difficulties when assimilating into a new culture.

As an immigrant child that was brought here to the United States when I was a child, I definetly had culture shocks from both sides. Growing up, Ive had seen people telling Mexican immigrants “Go back go Mexico, where you belong”. As a child that was born in Mexico but that grew up in the United States, I felt like I did not know where I belong. At the moment, I experienced three cultures; Mexican, American, and Japanase Culture. When I was about fifeteen years old I had encounterd culture shocks from my mexican and american cultures. It allowed me to change my way of thinking, that has benefited me since. Also, the affects of culture shock has lead to a positive change in my culture attitude.

The culture shock is about when someone arrives in a different place where the culture is not the same where he/she is from. I have difficult in the language, the food and the weather. They are too different from the culture of El Salvador. I believe I can overcome them trying to adapt myself in each of the difficulties and looking for help to my friends, my host family or someone else who can help to solve this

Culture shock is the feelings of alienation, hostility, heightened ethnocentrism, sense of loss, depression and/or self doubt that may result from immersion in a new culture.

Eckermann (2010), defines culture shock as segregation of two communities, creating conflict, inequality of rights, and inhuman treatment. Due to the divide, and Aboriginals being the minor group, they lost their identities and experienced tremendous stress and anxiety due to culture shock.

One of the most obvious difficulties for an international student is culture shock. Culture shock is the result of moving from an environment that is familiar to one that is not. Adjusting to new food, people, environment and

Finally the last stage is referred as the “acceptance stage,” according to one foreign student. After some weeks or months we are noticing improvement within ourselves after have wrestling with the emotional stages. The final stage of cultural shock doesn’t mean that the new cultures and environments are completely understood, it signifies realization that complete understanding isn’t necessary to function and thrive in new surroundings. During this stage, travelers have the familiarity and are able to draw together the resources they need to feel at ease.

Studying abroad is very important to one’s life if the opportunity lies right in front. Nowadays, many students has becoming aware of the benefits of studying outside from their homecountry. America is one of the most common country that encompasses international students all around the world. Besides from housing numerous esteem places for learning, America tends to act as a place for the culture to exchange between international students and locals which is one of the many benefits for one to consider studying overseas. However, the process of learning does not happen as smooth as the wind flow. Problems may arise when one fails to comprehend how other’s culture works. By inspecting the story of Yu-Wen in the America for the first time, we can understand why she had many difficulties there.

In 2010, as my sisters-in-law and their families prepared to immigrate to the United States (U.S.), my husband and I did all we can to advise and assist them in getting ready for their long journey from Nigeria to the U.S. To our surprise, contrary to every advice we gave them, in preparation for life in the US, they started out with trying American fast foods of different kinds. Culture shock is expected for anyone who immigrates to the US, regardless of where they come from. The type(s) of help the person(s) gets on how to overcome it and their adherence, most often, determines the future outcome of life in their new country of residence.

Culture Shock has played a tremendous role in the growth of cultural ecology because it is an issue that is constantly growing all over the world. In the United States, it may not seem like things are changing involving culture shock, but it is not any different then the changes in places like Africa and China for example. It is developing equally across the world because there are now more ways to travel. So, what exactly is culture shock anyways? Well, it is known as going to a foreign or unfamiliar territory that one is not used to, so they may feel symptoms of anxiety such as nervousness or shock because the customs, actions, beliefs, etc of those people may not seem familiar to them, so one may feel ill-prepared for the changing environment. Also, for example, if one was to go to school in the U.S. but came from China, they would feel culture shock because the rules in China are not the same as rules in the U.S. and so it may make one feel uneasy about the situation because they are not use to change and maybe the move was to quick for them to adjust properly. The United States is very different from foreign areas because the culture is very different. Where have people of Africa seen movie productions, music, sports, universities, iPhones, computers, etc? The answer is not where they live but in the United States if they traveled there before. This is exactly the issue with culture shock in ecology. Culture is what people behave like, feel, and do. Shock is a symptom

Every year, many international students, particularly those from China come to the United States in pursuit of their higher education. Nonetheless, these international students’ desire and quest for further education and a better future faces many hurdles, especially the hurdle of language barrier. This research paper focuses on the issue of language barrier, and its limits of the potential of Chinese international students studying in America. As will be discussed in this paper, besides limiting their educational potential, language barrier also limits other aspects of these international students’ stay in America, including their communication with the locals and accessing various social places. This paper will also examine the assertion by the other side of the divide including Chinese authorities and education stakeholders in China who claim that presently, language barrier is not an issue for Chinese students. Thus, this research paper seeks to demystify the claims and facts on this matter.

There are many changes that have occurred in the Peoples Republic of China over a short period of time. This is mainly because of the changing climate in relation to a number of areas and perspectives. For instance, there are varied factors that have led to the changes that have been experienced in the social, political, and economic culture. Since 1949 there have been many changes in the social aspect in China. These changes are related to a number of events that will be explained in different sections.

From what I have seen, “the world is becoming smaller”(Diana 2001) differences between the U.S. and China are becoming less because of the Internet. From one of my friends who is still studying in China, the environment of education didn’t change a lot from the pass four years. He is still suffering through the high school graduation test, which is the most important test for every student in China. He said to me that comparing to him I’m living in heaven and he is living in hell. The culture and value has changed a lot. For example, “fast food culture, self center, money talks, and lost of the idea of family. However the credit system, independence, and law system in China are not as perfect as the U.S.”(Jian 2006) “China are not only growing very fast in economy but also losing the culture in the same speed.”(Jiyang 2003)

As mentioned in the introduction, this research seeks to understand Chinese students’ academic adaptation and cross-cultural learning experiences in Canadian universities. In the previous chapter, Hofstede’s (1991) five cultural dimensions were identified as a means of explaining how Chinese students learn differently from their American counterparts, and they were offered as a theoretical framework to guide the researcher to think about the problem of practice. This chapter mainly focuses on existing literature related to the factors that affect Chinese students’ adaptation in overseas higher education institutions.