Culture shock is something that anyone deals with when going to a different new environment. While I can't say I've experienced large quantities of it in my life as I've only left the United States once, that one time was a doozy. During high school I spent about 2 weeks in Japan on a home-stay program. There were definitely some things that were surprising and hard to get used to. For example, driving.
I obviously didn't drive myself, but simply being in the car was an experience that took about 2 years off my life span. For starters, they drive on the opposite side of the road, so that was trippy, but the scariest part was how narrow the streets were. They don't have the space for the wide roads we have here in America, so it constantly felt like I was about to involved in some sort of crash. I basically dealt with it by not looking out the windows.
There was the occasional other events or action that would surprise me, such as not putting your card into a slot to pay for a bus ride. Might have lost my bus pass that way. Or the markets that are part of the bus station. The thing to really look out for though, was level of interaction.
Some cultural and interaction skills I picked up and have learned from these experiences I feel are safe steps to take in any foreign situation.
Song: Shock - B2ST (Now Highlight)
I obviously didn't drive myself, but simply being in the car was an experience that took about 2 years off my life span. For starters, they drive on the opposite side of the road, so that was trippy, but the scariest part was how narrow the streets were. They don't have the space for the wide roads we have here in America, so it constantly felt like I was about to involved in some sort of crash. I basically dealt with it by not looking out the windows.
There was the occasional other events or action that would surprise me, such as not putting your card into a slot to pay for a bus ride. Might have lost my bus pass that way. Or the markets that are part of the bus station. The thing to really look out for though, was level of interaction.
Some cultural and interaction skills I picked up and have learned from these experiences I feel are safe steps to take in any foreign situation.
- Always stay polite and friendly. It's always best to fall on the safe side.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions and look for clarification.
- Understand that just because it is not what you are familiar with doesn't mean it is weird or wrong.
- Always be open to trying new things!
Song: Shock - B2ST (Now Highlight)