Cultural Shock - Personal Experience
We all know that fitting in our society can be harsh, now imagine to fit in a whole new culture, super fun.
so, what is it?
“Culture shock is a common phenomenon and, though it may take months to develop, it often affects travelers and people living far from home in unexpected ways” Basically means to get to experience things that we never saw before. Often, it is the deeper cultural differences in way of thinking, customs and interpersonal that develops this feeling.
For this blog I decided to share my personal experience and how I overcame this situation. First time I moved abroad I was just 18 years old, coming from a South American country where people are super friendly and not really know what personal space is.
Atlanta was my destination, I met wonderful people, however Venezuelans are used to kiss others’ person cheek whenever we say bye, and here is when my first cultural shock experience happened. I did what in my country was normal to do but instead of a kiss back I just received an awkward look.
Happens to be that THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR OTHER PEOPLE. My mind felt overwhelmed when I heard what others eat in their native countries, what they wear and how they behave. I felt confused, “how was this possible? I thought the whole world behave the same!” was my only thought. As the time went by, I learned how to accept all this different but amazing traditions and my perspective of the world changed!
In conclusion, it is totally normal to feel shocked whenever you face a different culture to yours. But this feeling will disappear and great things will be with you after this. Cultural shock is almost impossible to avoid, but not to overcome. Travelling is amazing and this awkward - but funny - experiences are super worth it.
DV