6 * + CULTURE SHOOK + Culture Shock Is Part of the Overseas Passage by Lemnie Copetand and Lewis Griggs Almost everybody ving overseas for ny extended peso experiences cule Shock is af occupational hezard for ‘expats anc for people who ave 50 ‘moc tha they spend mot ofthe ine ina foreign come. People who have not spent auch tie abroad ae fen sheptial about talture shock Most people, seems, fave fy rma won of wha le must be oveseas, and they assume People who safer cole shod ar ike fhe Kid at summer camp who was Dmesick or jt dfn, even en ‘reryone else nas having fun. Among {hose who dort know any beter, there fa sigma of weakness ached tothe etsan who as “agusiment problems” a forgn cour. So let set the record staght from the sir Culnse shock it not por aijutmene Ke has isle 10 0 ith ‘srength of chrscter. The pect Who Sues the spotoms af cre shock is ot weak o napa coveted, sss caused bythe baage of hundess of ming and sorieing increas, may 50" se we hawly rote and many so during a we ‘may fee! seriou threatened. In onder to undereand eit hock, ou have © {emerber tha our aby to anton the world depends on cut ay to ead Inuneds of sans, respond 10 sible ‘hes tnd to bare accrding to cont fess explict and impli mes AY hore swe know how to red see igs, we on how fo we the telepione, or how such tip. We pick up sia when Isuime to ead aspeeing ov eve 2 pay, ce change subject. Lilly we ge the Joke, Much of what we do aura, equine hough oe ert ‘Overseas the reverse Is te. Simple tasks become dificult because our ‘we miss routine things Ie the ele. Phone directory oF shopping. bass ‘Things are done diferent, ore cnt ‘communicate what we wane, Nowe by ‘mower we ler the nes ansietes bcnute we dont know howto bev, fur actions and words doa get the fexpecied responses, and we dont lunersand the messages we are geting. ‘The signs we are accusiomed to are ‘one. We ae confronted with new mays of doing, thinking and valuing, Ou own ‘common sense o lage no longer seems to appl. Ansley Becomes a permanent State of being As one expat put “tes tke being in exam twenty four hours a day° Tiss ela sock — the lzorientaton that causes perpen ‘Generally, cuture shock Is expe enced by people who sotle everest or extendel periods Toursts so not experience it bcaine ty are potted from the cle, ace having to worry about seping shoe, dealing with set ans, oF the hondeds of ther mur- fane asks chat people living. abroad faust face, Baines vel, 800, a Droecied because ther experince Is Umully linea to atl and vesaurs where people ae timed 10 sere foreigners NO one i inmune 10 cule soe, ‘even after many international exper fences. Abd the Umpact af clue shock ‘oes noe depend on a0 individ Inteligenee, education, race or jb. The 125+ CULTURE SHOCK + 128 SNC eignesae ambassador, corporate vice president platform worker ar recetry must all face the ares f ausing 10 2 ace ‘evsonnen Expanites who have ved fe several costes sy that YoU expe ‘ce cre shock in each nw cous, regurdles of where you gp For some ‘Subsequent adjustments ae ease, for ‘hers, each move becomes more a sof culture shock are predictable Expert etc the concept of cure shock a malay dat one catches and then gets over, I Is noe something dat kes audSely or ess from 4 singe ‘rent Instesd, kbs up ove ne, 20 Sccumalgen of minor or mp cla onfrontaens that aay be dic © Pinpoint Esper now prefer to dese fue shot ab a "efle of reads tment” mare by four pass. It helps to now them. So many reauned avel ‘rs ay, “fey had know that what 1 fas going through was) nocrall 1 thought I was going easy and had © Keep big ugly secret 1 wa afraid hase 1 In the beponing, you go dough a eu pose peso the our pase” when you take alt of ples and are exit. 2 about the move. You may tice how surprisingly salar things are to home and things hat are’ similar Soon clement ofthe new cure begin to tere, and they are no Tonge al ‘ways enchuning. Your cost is ove taken by ltton, impatene, frases fon, anger ind depression, Minor rsances become catseopic upset “You fel telplss and rsned, enoton ‘ily and physically. Fualy embers biker more than nomally oe begin to ‘omiplaa about the country and lol people. Dillernces become blown out ‘SF proponion, and hand judgments i bead “These people ist don alse uma fe.” People at tis stge owe all the sympoms of being der pes fre Some people withdraw, develop Sessions (about ceslinss, fet of foreigners overeating or sleeping), oF ‘come overly hose and aggresse Phe 2 may last for mons and ts sc tenble time, affects the employees performance at Work cles adjust rent at school, and the spouse's aby {© provide family suppor at home. I (os not fc only the inal ‘otved ut he whole fy amie Fomunaey, reactions usualy bt ler cnt family mame dierent ines, 50 ‘at indus are beter abe 10 help feich othe. And they most ~ adjusment ia proces to be worked on by fay members togiy Phase 3 1 they dont pick up and go home da Ing Phase 2, an individ or famly ‘evennally begins 10 learn, cO change do adapt Tis a “palig up" pore ‘4, in which you begin accep focal ‘ays, or acope negative feelings but Find ever waps to handle them. Sel ‘confidence retns you fel es lated and more confonahle, You can ow Took onward ad upward Phase 4 ‘Aas you come fel a home and to tauly enjoy the county and. cule ‘You sense of humor rus, you have ‘made fends, you “know the ropes Yow are now te local expen who a sve advice, Neomer an ao cy ‘our shoul Phares may peat, Bob Kohl, dn tor of Washington Intertionat enter, Says you ean eapect two low pls du fngaan overscatour, snd thatthe eth tnd seveaty of eure shock vary th {he individ ad the ssigneent Soe people dont get to Phase 4, but sller 0 severely ia Phase 2 that they mus tum home, or wore, comiaue i the 35 Senmentwiton beip. One sty weed In the Sate Departmen: nds hat 5 percent of expe experience seve problems, incluing dug adion, al Coholism and newour breakdown, Seenaimes even sade, Another 5 pe ent was dese a escaper, beach combes, going native” These matics Should nor fighen but make the poi that cue sk Is el ad serous, I ‘you think you need help, you should ‘etainly get and know at you ae ot alone. Vinuly every expr ll those seemingly welradsted folk you ‘il see around you, have experienced Because the prablem i real, more td move Aman communis sot tfler profesional counseling CULTURE HOCK + Forunately, cure shock i pret q sie, ptemed and manapeabie Ifyou fee prepare, you can como IF you i] dont ake spe to desl wai can be H ‘expensive in tne, money and et asec) Re-enty Rony & sucha problem that keep many people fom acceping seo ‘vereasaignment "could pet cle shock again" sad one reputed exec tie, but jist couldnt face coming howe again” Reentry a shock Mos: expats are no prepared forthe tematic "comedown’ they experience ‘when they come Home. Memories and rays of ome ~ how Kis cheaper, Steanes, beter and more eit ~ a ‘Stated. Compared to Germany, Ame fea seems loud and diy, afer Beu, people seem too nushed and inper Sonal. The bureueracy here slow oo, Salers are rie and eine is constr once. You fe not ily to have ser fs, 2 cule and ther perquses. “Yo are back doing your ovn hose ping and catching the 7232 with all the oer commer And A etming 2 the same commonly you kf you Bd nor relly the site luce at al. The cost of ving mich higher The nigh borhood has changed. Pome sighbors hve moved away. Home is not the Tome You expected it be. The dap poinimen an be overwlning Re-entry shock would bev laser i problem i were only mater of let own, dashed expectations, and seu to'2 previous Mest. People would 1e- Adjust ASU as they ajoned to cue Shock overseas. Bit there a dence. HH ‘There 6 an oustanding lack of pyc suppor and cate forthe retuming x 127+ CULTURESHOOK « “ks been thee wees, Rober ad you ‘shaven aden oben bck ane Error atte, Overseas, travelers somehow expat dices, apd they get reassor fsnce ane moral seppat ro te ata bonding tat occurs among peo Who foal "we are all in this together. Bot Saree of the Gods ‘by GS, Sarat Chandra (One of the things that Praplla had in ftec was to have 2 place watng for thom in New York where cher tna Smmigants lived. she had woried 2 sre deal over this sudden change 15 Det fe, Fst there washer ear of Bing ‘over Mouse Everest cera iirason ‘ver Ld shiva teary whic he did dot approve of for any being Hind ‘Then the abrupt seveance ofa genera 428 ton of relationships and hfe 2 Joie when you come back to the Uaited Stes, you and your ful feel alone; you ge lite understanding or oppor Tuniy to sare your felings. Vitaly freon who eetums fe shocked bythe lace of ineret of people at home Fries sayin ding to Bear all about Indonesia but acon they switch the bjt 0 last weekends focal game Retunees need totale shout ther ex Perens ~ a major event in thelr es — Yet no one wil Ise One executive Sys es one thing to fo erent om fm Arb or an Asin, bur Wotse Co fel ented fom your own people f you tak about your overseas experience, Pople don kaow owt late 1 yeu yeu dont tn” (Children particular have a han time, They are ferent, more Sophi- teed, Mealy more woody tan children who have nat let thei home ‘country At the sme tne, they ay Tel fd not knowing the latest slang, ro fn televsion srs, oF ways ess. "pon pi ant ae ‘Singers amy. She bad spent many 2 sestess right In daylight, shed dlsmiss her fighinares at. meteconfsions of troubd mind and see ewe to con fuer her problems a she faced them, lke the exated and practi woman that she was. If anything happened to the wanogressng fet, she would clutch her usb and child to her breasts fod plummet with at least paral Sense of wholeness, (© whatever ose