THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Economics – Law

REPORT ON DISCUSSION
Topic:
How to avoid culture shock

Course: English for Specialization 2

Instructor Instructor: Nguyen Quynh Anh
Group: 5
Grade: 2237ENTI1012

April – 2022
 Members list

Number First and last Assignment Appreciation

s name

25 Tran Thi Lan Part 1: The current Status Done

of culture shock

26 Pham Thu Lan Part 3: Some culture Done

shock example

27 Cao Tuan Linh Part 4: Funny story when Done

you get culture shock

28 Do Thuy Linh Part 2: The effects of Done

(Leader) culture shock

Powerpoint + powerpoint

29 Pham Thi Hoa Part 5: The secret to Done

Ly overcoming culture shock

30 Do Thi Ngoc Part 6: Your experience Done

Mai after culture shock
 DISCUSSION DETAILED OUTLINE

Topic: How to avoid culture shock

1. What is the current Status of culture shock?

Culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety and emotions a person
feels when operating in a completely different culture or social environment, such
as a foreign country.

1.1. Why do I have culture shock?

- Reasons for culture shock

 Colloquial : On your first arriving in a foreign country, you may feel

exhausted and fatigued from the journey.
You have difficulty communicating, and feel anxious.

 Market price: You will be overwhelmed by the price of goods when you
convert to Vietnamese Dong.

 Dish: The feeling that makes you feel uncomfortable, unappetizing food is
one of the hardest culture shocks you will have to go through while studying
abroad.

 People: Respecting differences, respecting individual freedom, open-

mindedness or polite communication...
1.2. The difficulty of having culture shock
 Anxiety, depression or loneliness: These sensations are pretty usual.
 Homesickness: It's natural to miss your own country and the people you've
abandoned.
 Disturbed sleep patterns: It is natural to have a sleep pattern that is disrupted.
Thinking, stress, a lack of confidence, or other factors.
 2. What are the effects of culture shock?

This phenomenon has a significant impact on international students both physically

and mentally.

Symptoms of culture shock:

- Changing in mood: sad, lonely, angry and irritable

- The body appear aches and pains, headaches, sometimes fever, even
allergies.
- Insomnia or sleep too many hours a day.
- You feel homesick and lose confidence.
- Lost and ignored.
3. Some culture shock example

Cultural in Viet Nam (Using chopsticks)

 The habit of using chopsticks in every meal: main meal, side meal,
normal meal, grand banquet.
 A culture showing respect and courtesy to adults.
 Vietnamese chopsticks show family love

Cultural in Japan (Pouring wine for each other)

 The meaning of commitment and is also a way of communicating at the

table by pouring each other a full glass of wine.
 How much drink is left in your opponent's glass?
 Remember, always refill the empty wine glass

Cultural in America (Comfortable attitude)

  Americans love to dress, entertain, and treat each other with ease, even in
the face of differences in age or social status.
 Although there are times when Americans value tradition, they generally
don't pay much attention to social etiquette.
4. Funny story when you get culture shock.
- A story about a Vietnamese student studying abroad in India.
- He had a trouble when walking on the street, a stink trouble
5. The secret to overcoming culture shock?
 Keep an objective perspective on cultural differences.Each country have its
own history. So, do not comparing and whining, accept and discover those
new distinct features.
 Equipping cultural knowledge about other countries. You should spend time
learning about unique locations, lifestyles, foods, and other aspects of the
country you are visiting.
 Overcome the language barrier. You should learn as many languages as
possible before traveling to the country where you live. You can also brush
up on English.
 Get used to everything around. Any sort of learning will help you advance,
and you will also have memorable experiences that you will remember for
the rest of your life.
6. Reverse culture shock
 Reverse culture shock is the emotional and psychological distress suffered by
some people when they return home after a number of years overseas.
 When coming back, you may feel strange, lost, uncomfortable in their own
home on the day of return and need a lot of time to them to adjust.
 A method is: Increasing dialogue between the parties, it may easier to detach
from the customs and demeanor of the home nation in favor of the new
culture.