I never had much of a problem with culture shock. Maybe it was because I went to Haiti when I was in 8th grade. Maybe I never really struggled with culture shock because I love it when the unexpected happens.
However, I have seen many people who really struggled with culture shock. I remember an English Lit teacher my first year in Mexico City who said at a school-sponsored pizza party “Every morning I wake up I wonder if I am going to die.”
I remember seeing people crying because they were just plain frazzled. I saw people depressed the moment the walked off the airplane at the end of Christmas break. Culture Shock can be a real heartache for some.
I just finished L.Robert Kohl’s Survival Kit for Overseas living – For Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad and highly recommend it for someone about to go through their first or second living abroad experience. The book is filled with not just abstract “People are different” explanations but practical exercises to help the reader deal with the overwhelming transition to another country.
For example Chapter 13 “Know thy Host Country” lists out 9 “information gathering areas” to help you figure out what drives the culture you are in. Chapter 14 lists out 47 questions for you to revisit and fill in as you learn.
I have seen how culture shock can turn nasty and ruin someone’s experience overseas. If your going abroad then why risk it? Read L.Robert Kohl’s Survival Kit for Overseas living – For Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad and read it slowly.
