| Culture shock is real. It is universal, powerful and | | | | you. My guess would be that this stage of |
| usually unexpected. That’s why it comes as a | | | | balanced acceptance of the new culture can go |
| shock! | | | | on for years. |
| Our home cultures are deeply embedded during | | | | Sadly there is one final kick of culture shock that |
| childhood. We don’t need to do anything for | | | | you have to deal with. It’s called “re-entry |
| this to happen. Just grow up and take part in | | | | shock”. When you go back home, either for a |
| society, meet our fellow-countrymen, keep up | | | | visit, or permanently, the differences between |
| with fashion, technology, and current affairs. | | | | your home culture and the one to which you |
| Culture is often defined as “the way we do | | | | have adapted will shock you all over again. Things |
| things around here”, and this goes for entire | | | | familiar from your childhood take on unfamiliar |
| national cultures, regional, local and even business | | | | overtones. Some are great. The sound of your |
| cultures. It’s the collection of, often unspoken, | | | | mother tongue, the sight of your family and |
| rules that regulate behaviour. | | | | friends. But there will certainly be things you used |
| Move, as I did, from the UK to Japan and the | | | | to take for granted that now seem absurd, |
| difference in the way things are done really hits | | | | poorly organised, or backward. In my case the |
| you in the face! My first reaction was excitement. | | | | Britain I returned to after three years in Japan |
| I felt like an explorer in an exciting new universe. I | | | | seemed to be very badly organised, rather |
| was trying out a new language, a new geography, | | | | unsafe, and to suffer from very poor service in |
| new technologies, new standards of dress, | | | | shops and transport. (This was the 1970s, by the |
| transport, behaviour…everything was full of | | | | way. Things have improved a lot since then!). But |
| interest and possibilities. That’s stage one of | | | | it was wonderful to be able to blend into the |
| culture shock. The exciting stage. It can last from | | | | crowd with no one noticing me, and staring at me. |
| a few days to several months. | | | | And to be able to buy clothes that fit me! The |
| After a while you begin to adapt. The exciting | | | | sense of reverse culture shock, albeit in a greatly |
| things start to become normal. Some of the new | | | | reduced form, has never really left me. |
| things stop being exciting and start to become | | | | So that’s a very brief examination of culture |
| annoying. In my case I discovered after a few | | | | shock. Now, how do you survive it? The good |
| months’ trial and error that I really did not like | | | | news is that you have already started the |
| Japanese food. I took for granted the superb | | | | process. Just reading about a problem prepares |
| train system and the wonderful level of service in | | | | you a bit for the experience of it. The more you |
| shops. But I spent time searching out ways of | | | | read, especially about the specific place you are |
| not having to eat sushi, sashimi, seaweed, raw | | | | going to, the easier you will pass into the stage of |
| egg, and tasteless noodles. I really didn’t (and | | | | balanced acceptance of the new culture. The |
| still don’t) like it. It irritated me that good | | | | magnitude of the shock you experience depends |
| ingredients were being wasted to produce such | | | | on where you come from, and where you are |
| unpalatable (to me!) meals. I also grew irritated | | | | going. So it’s very helpful to talk to people |
| that my obvious “foreign-ness” made me | | | | who understand what those differences are, and |
| stand out in crowds, and that the Japanese | | | | who can pick out the key differences you need |
| always used to stare at foreigners. In my case | | | | to prepare for. |
| this discontented stage lasted more than six | | | | If you live in IELTS Jakarta, and are preparing or |
| months. | | | | hoping to live abroad to work or study, speak to |
| Then comes a more balanced stage. Acceptance | | | | the Aim team. They can help you minimise the |
| that some aspects of the new culture are great, | | | | shock of your relocation, and get into the stage |
| some are not, but that a fulfilling and generally | | | | of balanced acceptance really quickly. That’s |
| happy life is perfectly possible. You stop getting | | | | where you want to be; it’s the stage during |
| cross about the things you don’t like and | | | | which you’ll be most relaxed, most |
| cannot change, and you consciously relish the | | | | productive, and least stressed. Good luck! |
| aspects of the new culture that work well for | | | | |