Culture Shock-What to Do About It

What do you do? Just chill out, and I do mean chill. In other words, shut up shop, put on your favorite song, get yourself a cup of hot chocolate (your “emergency” stash that you brought with you for just such an occasion!), and relax. Your brain DOES need a break!

Just be careful about how you use those new gestures that you’ve been learning! For those who travel from country to country, it’ll be a challenge to keep straight which gesture means what in which country. For instance, the Hawaiian hand gesture that is a sign of good will can sometimes be similar to the “let’s have a drink” or “he’s drunk” in Ecuador!

Of course, these are only a few ways to deal with culture shock. One of the best ways is to ask other “foreigners” how they deal with it. Not only can you ask the ones you know, now there are magazines and Internet chat rooms that share different viewpoints on the subject. Remember, you’re not the only one that misses your “ol’ Kentucky home”!

There’s a collateral branch of culture shock that hits all expatriates; the dreaded homesickness. That’ll be the subject of next month’s article. See you then!

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