Culture shock is a feeling of confusion and unease that people experience when they travel to a new country or environment. It can cause physical and mental symptoms, such as homesickness, insomnia, and mood swings. The best way to deal with culture shock is to integrate slowly and learn new social skills. Traveling to Third World countries can cause the greatest shock due to the realities of poverty.
Culture shock is a condition that affects people who travel to a country other than their own. The term describes a traveler’s feelings of bewilderment when their environment and culture change from those with which they are familiar. An unfamiliar environment, a foreign language, and the strange customs of a new country can all contribute to feelings of unease and confusion.
It’s not just those who travel and live abroad who experience culture shock. Any change in your surroundings can bring about these feelings. If a person is leaving home for the first time and going to university, for example, the new environment and new experiences can be a shock to the system.
Although culture shock is a state of mind, it can cause many symptoms, both physical and mental. Anyone who has moved from home for the first time or to a new city probably knows the immediate feeling of loss and sometimes loss. Sadness and loss, however temporary, are only natural when living in a new place away from home. The mind needs time to familiarize itself with new environments and new ways of living.
Some people also experience physical symptoms. They may feel sick or suffer from insomnia or mood swings. While homesickness is considered a state of mind, it can lead to symptoms such as irritability and short temper when faced with confusion about a new culture.
If you’re living in a new country, the best way to deal with culture shock is to integrate slowly. You should be aware that daily activities can be completely different from how they were at home. A simple task, like ordering a meal at a restaurant, can require you to learn a whole range of new social skills. The feeling of excitement about entering a new country can soon dissipate as a whole new set of life skills must be acquired.
The biggest shock most people get is when they travel from the Western world to Third World countries. Most people are used to seeing images of appalling poverty only on their television screens. However, once a person has driven down a road to find an entire family living by the side of the road, poverty becomes incredibly real. The realities of life for people in developing countries, when compared with conditions in the Western world, are likely to cause the greatest shock a traveler can experience.
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