STAGE #1: Initial Euphoria - "Honeymoon" Stage
After the stress of deciding where to study abroad and completing the numerous pre-departure requirements, you prepare to leave. There is the excitement and anticipation of spending time in a new country mixed with the sadness of leaving family and friends. You find yourself stepping off the plane and into a new place. Everything seems different, new, and exciting. The language is different, the food is interesting, the buildings are charming, you are eager to meet host country friends and everything is wonderful - it's the "perfect" place. Although you miss your family and friends, the novelty and excitement of experiencing a new environment outweigh the loss. This is the first phase of many new …show more content…
Your feelings can shift from very positive to extremely negative. The language is a challenge and sometimes translation can be tiring. You long for familiar food, and you decide that the charming building doesn't have all the conveniences you are accustomed to at home. Homesickness may also contribute to your feelings of discomfort. You have developed "culture shock" - the reaction people feel when they move for an extended period into a culture that is different from their own. Culture shock results from the experience of encountering ways of doing, organizing, perceiving or valuing things that threaten your basic, unconscious belief that your ways are "right." It is cumulative, building slowly from a series of small events that are difficult to identify.
Symptoms of culture shock vary from individual to individual. Some students may have little or no reactions or symptoms during this phase. Others may feel tired all the time, both physically from trying to understand the language, customs and a myriad of unfamiliar daily tasks, and emotionally, because as hard as you try to reach out and connect, you realize that you will never really be one of the locals. Disappointment and irritability can set in. Suddenly, the food is inadequate, the facilities aren't clean enough, people are abrupt, and the bureaucracy is
After the stress of deciding where to study abroad and completing the numerous pre-departure requirements, you prepare to leave. There is the excitement and anticipation of spending time in a new country mixed with the sadness of leaving family and friends. You find yourself stepping off the plane and into a new place. Everything seems different, new, and exciting. The language is different, the food is interesting, the buildings are charming, you are eager to meet host country friends and everything is wonderful - it's the "perfect" place. Although you miss your family and friends, the novelty and excitement of experiencing a new environment outweigh the loss. This is the first phase of many new …show more content…
Your feelings can shift from very positive to extremely negative. The language is a challenge and sometimes translation can be tiring. You long for familiar food, and you decide that the charming building doesn't have all the conveniences you are accustomed to at home. Homesickness may also contribute to your feelings of discomfort. You have developed "culture shock" - the reaction people feel when they move for an extended period into a culture that is different from their own. Culture shock results from the experience of encountering ways of doing, organizing, perceiving or valuing things that threaten your basic, unconscious belief that your ways are "right." It is cumulative, building slowly from a series of small events that are difficult to identify.
Symptoms of culture shock vary from individual to individual. Some students may have little or no reactions or symptoms during this phase. Others may feel tired all the time, both physically from trying to understand the language, customs and a myriad of unfamiliar daily tasks, and emotionally, because as hard as you try to reach out and connect, you realize that you will never really be one of the locals. Disappointment and irritability can set in. Suddenly, the food is inadequate, the facilities aren't clean enough, people are abrupt, and the bureaucracy is