Easing In: how to lessen culture shock in new surroundings

Wham! After being in transit for so long, that fresh outside air smacks you in the face when you finally step outside of the airport and take that first deep breath of non-circulated stale airplane air. It took forever to get here. After hours and hours you got to the airport, flew on the plane (or for many of us-planes plural), went to more airports, made it through customs, got jostled at baggage claim and finally arrived at your destination. That combination of being completely spent, confused over time changes and excitement for that journey to get underway usually ends in a flop on a bed or a cup of something to pop open those dreary eyelids and jump start the adventure. How do you manage to enjoy your surroundings and embrace the new cultures in front of you without an enormous freak out of culture shock? How do you ease in and lessen the shock to your new surroundings?

Many of us don’t have the time that we’d like to be able to slow travel and take the time we’d want to get fully used to a place and ease in at our own pace. Still, there are things to do to make it easier regardless of time. What if your tour starts the day after you arrive in a country where you do not speak the language? What if you’ve decided to jump in with both feet and take months to immerse yourself in a new land and culture without much research or planning? What if you are not accustomed to huge changes all at once and are starting to feel a bit overwhelmed? Do we find you folded in a ball on the bed or are you ready to attack the day no matter the risk? For those of us who want to greet the day head on and struggle regularly to resist the urge of the fetal position on that bed that is no longer the reclining seat in front of the bathroom in economy class, here are a few tips to make the culture shock as easy as possible.

1. Take your time: There’s no rush and no deadlines…you can get there at your own pace.
2. Find your accommodation, grab a business card with address and phone number (in local language/script) in case of emergency and head out for a wander: Let yourself get used to the sights, sounds and scents of your new surroundings…you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll begin to feel.
3. Speak to those at reception at your accommodation: They can often help you get started on a path that works for you.
4. Find a local supermarket, farmers market, street vendors or grocer and take a look at what’s available: The familiar will intertwine with the new and different in a most comforting way.
5. Grab a snack and a drink and head to a public space to people watch and take in your surroundings: Getting to see life first hand will start to increase your comfort level.
6. If you can, connect with a local guide who can take you on a tour of his/her home culture and lessen the culture shock you might be feeling: Hearing an individual’s perspective of how they view their own culture will lessen the fears you brought along for the journey; you’ll be surprised at how quickly they start to fade away.
7. Interact with locals in a place of comfort (food store, hostel, restaurant, park): Remember you don’t even have to speak the language to be able to learn to communicate with others.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!: Remember this and embrace it along the way.

We’ve all been in the situation at one point or another in our traveler lives. Whether we’ve been the local on the street to help the visitor with a map and directions or the lost soul relying on the kindness of those very strangers we’ve been for others, it’s safe to say that all of us have come out on the other side. Remember, not all places are the same to the ones in which you’ve grown up. I mean, really, if they were, why would you go? Embrace the diversity and keep in mind that we are all more alike than we are different. You will learn as much if not more from the people and place you’re in than they will learn from you. Share what makes us similar and learn about the differences. Take in what the culture has to offer…you’re bound to see the world with new and open eyes IF and when you decide it’s time to leave.

For more of Stacey’s musings, check out her website.