RETURNED
STUDENTS' BASIC CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT TIPS:
Learn About
Differences • Prepare
for Reverse Cultural Shock • Strategies
for Adjusting • Strategies
for Overcoming Homesickness |
| PREPARE
BEFORE YOU GO: |
Read
the Culturegrams which the Office of Study Abroad
will provide you for the country in which you
will study. Compare what you learn with what
returned students have perceived from their experience.
Remember that evey study abroad experience is
individual, and what one student experienced
or perceived may not be experienced or perceived
by other students. Keep an open mind.
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LEARN
ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES OF THE SOCIETY AND CULTURE
OF THE COUNTRY IN WHICH YOU WILL STUDY |
• Read
as much as possible about culture. • Try
to speak to others who have been to your study
site. • Be prepared for a lot of poverty
in some countries not seen openly in the U.S. • Get
used to public transportation (busses everywhere,
trains in Europe) and a lot of walking. • Sexuality
may be viewed and expressed differently. • Consider
taking Dr. Barry Thatcher's "Building Wealth
Across Cultures" class.
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PREPARE
FOR REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK UPON RETURNING (Back
to Top) |
| • Coming
home can be a new cultural adjustment. |
TRY
THESE STRATEGIES TO ADJUST SUCCESSFULLY IN
OTHER CULTURES (Back to Top)
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AVOID
STEREOTYPING & COMPARING EVERYTHING WITH
THE U.S. |
• Don't
expect things to be Americanized. • Be
very open-minded and take every opportunity
you can. • Be
accepting of the culture, humble yourself,
don't be ethnocentric, try to understand the
culture and not judge it or compare it to the
U.S • Remember you're not in the states
anymore. There are positive and negative aspects
of any program. • If you refuse to experience
the culture,and remain closed mined, then don't
go. • You can’t appreciate and
grow in a new culture unless you try, give
the differences
the most chances you can. • Don't
constantly think "this is better in the
states." Judge it on its own merits. " When
you see an aspect of their culture that does
not seem to make sense, think about all the
strange things we Americans do, otherwise it
is easy to look down on people of other cultures
and think them foolish."
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BE
PREPARED FOR ANTIAMERICANISM OR POLITICIZED ATMOSPHERE |
• As
a representative of the U.S., it is important
to verse the bad image the U.S. has abroad by
being friendly and open minded. "A
lot of emotionalism accompanies discussion of
political issues, and may get yelled at even
if you agree."
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GET
INVOLVED WITH LOCAL PEOPLE & LEARN THE LOCAL
LANGUAGE |
• Participate
in everything you can. • Don't stay in
your room thinking about what you would be doing
if you were at home in the U.S.A. "Avoid
American stuff because it just makes you miss
home more and it's lame anyway...." "Try
to be one of the people don’t be an American
in Mexico, be a Mexican in Mexico."
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BE
A NICE PERSON AND GOOD GUEST |
• Keep
in mind that you are the guest. • Remember
that you are studying in "their" country.
You must adjust to get the full experience and
not expect people to cater to you. • Just
be friendly and be yourself. "Be
nice and polite when they offer you to try something
new." "Eat
the food the family eats and try not to be too
picky."
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| TRY
THESE STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME FEELINGS OF HOMESICKNESS
AND ISOLATION (Back to Top) |
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GET
INVOLVED WITH OTHER STUDENTS, HOST FAMILIES,
SCHOOL STAFF, AND ENGAGE IN OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES |
• Don’t
isolate yourself and it’s a little easier. • Don't
sit in your room even if you don't have friends
at first. Explore on your own, since sitting
in your room and calling home all the time will
make it worse. • If feeling home sick,
talk to the other students and or play some games
or something. • Involve
yourself in a lot of activities. Make friends
with locals and not other Americans. • Walk
around your city a lot and go into stores and
talk to people. Talk and share and before you
know it your experiences will become funny. • Get
to know your neighbors and build a social network;
people are the key to living happily. •• Make
friends. More than likely most other students
feel the same way you do. "Interact
with host family as much as possible so you will
feel
at home." "Don’t just
sit at home all the time. Go out and experience
the culture and sites." " Do
not be afraid to talk to people. If you do not
make the first step to make friends right away,
you will have trouble the whole exchange. I saw
this in many cases with other exchange students."
"Make Spanish friends rather than friends from
school. • Get
out and beat the culture shock." "I
met some American students in France who never
went out and they really didn't experience an
exchange program.""Having a support
group helps to become accustomed to Japan, and
gives one the opportunity to have fun.""...if
you get depressed, talk to your teachers."
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BRING
COMFORT ITEMS TO REMIND YOU OF HOME |
• If
away at Christmas, take a present for youself
so you can upwrap it while you are there. • Take
a few comfort items (pictures, etc.) with you
to look at when bouts of home-sickness strike. "Watch
American DVDs--my South Park episodes saved my
sanity at times." "Bring plenty
of stuff to do at night to keep you occupied
in your room on school nights."
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RELAX
AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE |
• When
you are comfortable with the idea of feeling
uncomfortable, you will have the time of your
life. • Once
you leave home everything is going to be different
but you can always learn from that experience. • Accept
that it’s a different culture and you’re
going to have to adjust no matter what. Just
take in the culture, enjoy and appreciate it
for what it is. • Everything is different
but not wrong. • Don't be afraid to try
new foods, or take trips on weekends to experience
different activities. • Go with the flow-don't
get angry or annoyed that things aren't as
they are at home-enjoy the differences. "Go
prepared for differences and embrace what the
trip is, not what you hoped it would be." |
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COMMUNICATE
WITH HOME IN MODERATION |
• Don't
forget to call home, but don't call home too
often--it may make thing worse. • Call
home as little as possible--it makes it seem
less distant.
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