Culture shock

By Janna // 3 February 2010 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: Traveller blog

The first day I came to Australia I had an orientation program and the key lesson of the program was about culture shock. Culture shock is basically the disorientation and feelings that come along with that when a person is put into a new culture, foreign culture, etc. which is very different from their own. When learning about it my friends and I had laughed and made fun of them for thinking that we, Americans who speak the same language would have any form of culture shock. But boy were we wrong. I have now been in Sydney for two weeks and I am just starting to get comfortable and over this initial shock.

They say that the first stage of culture shock is being excited and happy about the things around you. And I did love everything new that I found in Australia. The fresh air and hot weather was so exciting, especially coming from Boston which when I left had snow on the ground. The koalas and kangaroos where so cute and cuddly, and such different animals than I had ever seen. And my favorite thing about being in Sydney was the people. Not only do the people here have accents that make them seem so proper, but they are just nice people overall. In Boston or New York when someone bumps into you they glare at you and are rude for the most part. Here, you bump into them and they turn around and say sorry! And a response to that is always, "No Worries"! Also, I feel very safe in Sydney. At home I am scared to go anywhere alone at night and men passing buy will usually try to hit on me and my friends. Last week I got lost at night with my friend and there were barely any people out and the men that passed by barely made eye contact.

The next stage is anger and frustration. The public transportation here takes more time than home and is very hard to understand. Getting to my internship, to class, to really anywhere was difficult for me. The heat that had seemed to nice, turned annoying because when I walked a block towards anywhere I would be sweating buckets so by the time I got to my destination we will just say it wasn't pretty. The worst adjustment I would have to make was with the Internet. In the states the Internet is everywhere and very fast while in Australia it is slow and I don't have it in my apartment. And the way Australians waork is not like the fast-pased, overreager, American way that I am used to. Unlike here, in the states people are always given a tip for their service and therefore are eager to please which makes for great customer service. The metric system and the Australian lingo, both of which I had not learned became frustrating.

The last stage, which I am currently in, is when you appreciate where you are for the differences and accept them. My body has finally adjusted to the heat so I am now happy to go outside and explore. The people are still amazing along with the scenary and animals. I have learned that the red 20 bus brings me pretty much everywhere I want to go and it comes every ten minutes. I have learned to adjust to and actually like the more laid back and friendly work style. I have realized that although people are not working for tips, they are nice people and will help you. And most of all I have accepted that the Internet is slow and realized that I no longer need to revolve my life around it.

Adjusting to the Australian culture may not have been as hard as me going to Russia, or Japan but it was still difficult. Overall I am very happy to be living here for three months and I truly do feel that I have adjusted and fit in. I think that what helped the most was my friends and the nice people of Sydney who have been so nice and welcoming. This is an amazing city and I am lucky to have the opportunity of living, working, and learning here.