Culture Shock
Stages, Symptoms and Relief
This is it?!
I want to go home
We talked to some of our friends who have had experiences abroad and had them explain what their feelings and opinons were. *All names have been changed to protect privacy
"After being at the college for about four months, I just wanted to go home. I couldn't sleep at night, I felt lost, and I didn't know how to talk to anyone. I did not know how to communicate with anyone or understand the teachers in my class. I decided to go back home and finish college there."
*Lillian
"When I first got here I felt excited and worried at the same time. Excited because it's America, a well known country and worried because it's a different language and culture. I wanted to be in a big city, and I was in the country side. I hated it. I slept all the time and I was miserable. It's been four years now and I'm still here." *Freddie
"I was very nervous to come to America, and excited. I didn't speak much of the language and it was a little hard when my friend went home after a short time. I met an American and she was very nice, but silly and a little weird. She helped me when I needed it and I didn't feel so lonely. I could talk to her even though we didn't always understand each other. We both tried, and I could ask her questions. We went to many different places together, traveling and experiencing new things together. it really made my time in America easier and more fun." *Audry
"I was so excited to visit South Korea, be with my friends and experience the country. Then something happened, and I had to find another place to stay. I got scared. I was happy and felt secure at my friends house. The new environment was uncomfortable and unexpected. I stopped eating and slept a lot. I was very scared about my return ticket because of extenuating circumstances, but in the end it all worked out. Thankfully my friends there didn't let me suffer alone and took good care of me during all this." *Jasmine
I can deal
Uh oh
Personal Experiences of Culture Shock
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------