International Creative Network

Comments on Living Abroad

Sep 17, 2007

• Gernot says: The concept of "culture shock"
  "Culture Shock" is what seems to me a widely used and known vocabulary with almost unknown content...
  Actually I am now living abroad for the 3rd time and this time I received a "training" for it :D
  I must say that I was quite surprised to learn how the pros defined and described "culture shock" but I must say that I find some truth in it.
  
  First of all the word shock is a bit misleading as it implies something sudden. Well actually someone living abroad actually is suddenly exposed to a new environment as is someone who is going on vacation. The same way as someone on vacation we will experience great excitement to go. Therefore we tend to feel very positive and happy before and in the beginning of the event. Our new surrounding stimulates us and the people around us are very interested in “the new kid in town”. This positive amplification may last anything from 2 to 6 month typically. This is where it starts to backfire and it typically is already longer than a vacation would last.
  What has happened? Well we grew up in our own culture we learned what is right and what is wrong. We learned how to treat people. How to treat them respectfully or how to be friendly. And of course we are used to be treated in a certain way. We know how to deal with a situation based on what kind of impression our environment gives us and how we are treated. The problem is: What we learned from home does not hold true in the same way when we are abroad. The new environment has its own rules to play by. The faces my be more difficult to read. In example if you go to Germany you may find your self in the middle of a heavy controversial discussion. And while some Americans might be leaving the bar expecting for someone to draw a gun the “combatants” are most likely enjoying the different thought and paying the others next beer ;o)
  What I am trying to get to is that not only do misinterpret some situation, we also misinterpret the way we thing others think about us. We cannot find our own proper place among the people around us. Typically people lose the interest in “the new kid” partially because he’s no longer new, but most likely also because we didn’t behave the way we were expected to behave in the new country. In other words we have a hard time making friends and even harder time to keep them. This will certainly give us discomfort and depending on each character this discomfort may lead to depression. Meaning we hide in our own 4 walls. Avoid human contact. Planning trips home. Getting huge telephone bills. Sleeplessness.
  
  (Damn this is getting too long and depressing. I have to find an end for today…)
  
  That’s the time you should try and “meet up with” someone on asoboo ;o)
  
  - The End -
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  No not quite. The good news is that this stage is also only a temporary low. Supposed to the training I took as well as my experience it does help to go out there and force yourself to get used to “the evil” outside. On the other hand it is a big step back to try and get some self-confirmation from home (even though this may sometimes safe some people from worse fate).
  
  Now this is not the ultimate truth. I would like to hear what other people think about this theory and what your experiences are. Did someone hear about a different definition of culture shock? Did I get it all wrong? Please let me know.
  

Sep 10, 2007

• leftsider says: Best Living Abroad Advice I Ever Received
  My time abroad was made so much better from this advice:
  
  Even after jetlag, you'll not be at full power. It will take about three months for you to be at your "100%." The reason is because your subconscious will go into overdrive!
  
  When you are at home, you can focus on things and block out other things. It's easy because your subconscious can know what these things are. When you move to a new country--especially one that uses a different character system--while you are working and living you subconscious is going crazy trying to figure out the signs on the wall, the noises in the street, the conversation you're trying to block out on the train. It doesn't rest, so your mind will feel tired in a new way. It will take about 2-3 months for this to go away; don't feel bad if a month has gone by and you are still not in full form.
  
  The second part of that advice is that culture shock doesn't set in until 2-3 months. A lot of people think the culture shock is when you get there and everything is strange and new and you get homesick in the first week remembering your friends or family. In reality, the biggest culture shock is when all those new strange things become the norm; when the subconscious starts to slow down because everything is no longer stimulating. At this point, your new home is more "real home" than the home you left a few months ago. Here is when you'll experience depression, anxiety, restlessness, etc.
  
  Knowing about this makes it so much easier to deal with. It also helps you to work through it faster so you can get back to enjoying your new adventure.
• nycboy says: Living Abroad !
  Tags: Living abroad, Hong Kong, Travel
  I have never lived in a country outside the United States but want to experience that feeling. Of course I have heard it's quite different living somewhere as opposed to vacationing there. I have a possible opportunity to live in Hong Kong but will not know until early October. I would really love to live in Japan but we don't have an office there. Anyone have any thoughts or tips about living in Hong Kong. I would like to be prepared just in case the possibility becomes a reality. I found this cool website about living abroad but it focuses mostly on Europe.
  
  http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listing s/living/index.shtml#reports_from_expatr iates