Discussion Question: Culture Shock

Discussion Question: Culture Shock

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Discussion Question: Culture Shock

Culture Shock is a term used to describe the anxiety produced ,when a person moves to an entirely new environment, and this brings me back to think about my own life as an Immigrant. Its been more than 22 years here in the USA, I have observed experiences of different people from a different culture with whom I have lived in this country.

If we go back to the past, we will understand that, although the migration process always exists, its conditions, contrary to what is logical, is more difficult. There are many restrictive policies that many countries have been adapting to violate the human right to come and go, which in return makes it even more difficult for the migrant who tries to move away from his former home CITATION Peg90 \l 1033 (Mclntosh, 1990).

By migrating to another country, everyone will somehow experiences cultural shock. However, it is necessary to differentiate the shock of someone who migrates as a tourist or the sock of migrant who seeks better working conditions or survival in right conditions.

There is a first picture of what that country will be like, and it is built from what we hear or talk about. Most of the time, however, that place is far more distinct than had been imagined.

It is this first experience that is responsible for the emergence of several new feelings that the migrants experience over time: fear, joy, anger, sadness, pain, etc., that will become more intense depending on the experience. Although, in case of some people this shock may be more intense than the remaining,but it can not be avoided as it is the part of the normal process of adaptation.

When we migrate, we leave not only our country behind, but also our family, and friends, and all those structures that guided our lives. we have a language that allowed us to communicate with others, we know how the mode of transportation worked, we know our city, we know the social norms or laws of our native land.

On arrival at the other place, everthing change, we do not understand the language, we do not know the laws, we do not know how to do something according to the norms of new country, and we do not know how to get around the city, that was until then natural, like taking a bus.

To the extent that the differences are very significant, the cultural shock will also be more intense and will only be gradually overcome as we can adapt the culture and norms of new country. An adaptation that occurs in stages but with the passage of days, months or years we feel more at home. Some scholars of migration identify five stages of this process of manifestation of cultural shock ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"IOHum3pL","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Checa Olmos, Arjona Garrido, & Checa Olmos, 2007)","plainCitation":"(Checa Olmos, Arjona Garrido, & Checa Olmos, 2007)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":195,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/rVaVAHaF/items/X9WPVL8B"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/rVaVAHaF/items/X9WPVL8B"],"itemData":{"id":195,"type":"article-journal","title":"El extrañamiento cultural en espacios migratorios: La juventud andaluza ante el reto de la multiculturalidad","container-title":"Migraciones internacionales","page":"111-140","volume":"4","issue":"1","source":"SciELO","ISSN":"1665-8906","shortTitle":"El extrañamiento cultural en espacios migratorios","author":[{"family":"Checa Olmos","given":"Francisco"},{"family":"Arjona Garrido","given":"Ángeles"},{"family":"Checa Olmos","given":"Juan Carlos"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2007",6]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Checa Olmos, Arjona Garrido, & Checa Olmos, 2007).

At first (honeymoon) it may be that the migrant feels joy and excitement by being in a new country. Everything seems very beautiful, he makes new friends, try to know the place, but when some difficulties appear, this enthusiasm ceases to be so strong.

In a second moment (Rejection) you may experience anger, sadness, or regret at realizing that things are not as easy as you imagined. It is not so simple to find work, you need to regularize your immigration situation - and it takes time. The skills or the profession acquired in your country, does not have the same value in new country, then probably you have to work in another area or field.

Add to that, the need to learn the new language, otherwise it leads to the lack of your friends and family. It is the issue that can make you very stressful, at that point your thought that why have you left you country can make you sadder.

In a third moment (Acceptance) the overcoming of the crisis of the previous phase allows the maturation and the strength to face a new stage. You has already learned about the new culture, can communicate in the new language, understands how things such as public transport and other services work.

It is the period in which you will be able to identify your limitations and possibilities from the experience of migration.

In the final phase, this adaptation or integration of fact and things that once seemed very complicated will now be more straightforward to understand and perform. More is the understanding, nothing will seem as challenging as at was at initial stage. The possibility of access to work, education, health, housing, etc. also contribute to the adaptation of the new culture.

Of course, there is still a fifth stage that can be experienced by the migrant who decides to return to his or her country of origin.

After having gone through the other phases, and especially out of the rejection phase, it is possible that the returning migrant will experience what is known as reverse culture shock.

He may need to readjust himself, reminiscing about his culture and are likely to feel sadness, insecurity, and disorientation. There may still be some conflicts with the migrant who starts to assume the behaviors, learned from the other culture.

Anger, sadness, guilt, despair, loneliness, insomnia, difficulty concentrating or making decisions or also physical problems like constant headaches, back pain, digestive problems or hormonal problems are the result of the continual stress of having to deal with such challenges as the migratory experience.

To combat them it is essential that the migrant should know that it is possible to get help by institutions and support groups

Whatever the cause, it is always important to remember that everything in life is transient, nothing is forever, and the tendency is always to improve CITATION Ste93 \l 1033 (Castles, Haas, & Miller, 1993).

Cultural shock does not necessarily have to be what it is, but rather a path of open doors to learning, where we can divide and multiply, learn and accept cultural differences, try to walk together through evolution in one direction .... peace!

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Checa Olmos, F., Arjona Garrido, Á., & Checa Olmos, J. C. (2007). El extrañamiento cultural en espacios migratorios: La juventud andaluza ante el reto de la multiculturalidad. Migraciones Internacionales, 4(1), 111–140.

BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Castles, S., Haas, H. d., & Miller, M. J. (1993). The age of Migration. London: PALGRAVE MACMILLIAN.

Mclntosh, P. (1990). Independent School. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible , 3.