1.

Explain what is meant by the term cultural shock (EXPLAIN)

-A feeling of confusion, doubt, or nervousness caused by being in a place (such as a

foreign country) that is very different from what you are used to.

-A feeling of confusion felt by someone visiting a country or place that they do not
know.

-A sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may
affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate
preparation

Example:

A Mexican immigrant wrote on Quora she was shocked — in a good way — by all
the things provided at US schools, including subsidized meals, school buses, and air
conditioning.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh
In Mexico, students either need to walk home for meals or buy food outside the
school, wrote the immigrant, who used the name N. Lira in a Quora thread.

"Imagine my surprise on my first day of school in the United States," she wrote. "The
first class consisted of letting us watch the news during breakfast time. What!?
Breakfast time and TV at school AND the food is free? I was almost too shy to get my
servings because I didn't want anybody to think that I was taking advantage of the
situation.

"And at the end of the day I didn't have to walk home under the blistering sun. The
school bus was free! And — drum roll — it was air conditioned," she continued.

"I could hardly believe how everything was so neat, organized, overflowing, free,
shiny, comfortable and all I had to worry about were my grades! I was in school
heaven. I often fantasized about how amazing it would be if my classmates from
Mexico could experience the same things."

2. How can social class and poverty/wealth extremes be sources of

cultural shock for U.S. Americans in overseas assignments?

This is due to the fact that the levels of development that the US maintains are
higher than those of the rest of America with the exception of Canada, in this sense it
is easy to have cultural shocks due to the poverty that affects the rest of the
countries of America.

3. How can you alleviate cultural shock?

First of all, the main thing is to prepare for that, that is, to investigate, read or ask
what we can expect from the places we'll go, after this, with enough information, it is
easier to establish the steps that we could require in case of living a not so pleasant
experience having contacts with other cultures.

4. Explain how the Johari Window is related to cultural shock

The Johari window is an exercise that can help you gain a better understanding of
yourself and how others see you.

It helps you identify which qualities you and your colleagues agree you possess,
which ones they see but you don't, and which ones you notice but they don't get.
The adjectives you and your colleagues select are sorted into the four quadrants of
the Johari window, and you can then act on them.

In this way, it is better and easier to solve cultural shocks.