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1、Culture shock Culture shock All human beings experience the same feeling when they travel to or live in a different country or culture.This is so-called Culture shock.Sometimes,you find it easy with the topic Cross-culture Conflict and you can get all aspects involved in your article or discussion a
2、nd analyze them thoroughly.However,it may hurt even when youre confronted with only one aspect of it. Culture shock can be described as the feeling of confusion and disorientation that one experiences when faced with a large number of new and unfamiliar people and situations.Many things contribute t
3、o it-smell,sounds,flavors,the very feeling of the air one is breathing.Of course,the natives unfamiliar language and behavior contribute to it,too.Whenever someone travels overseas they are like”a fish out of water”.Like a fish,they have been swimming in their own cluture all their lives.A fish does
4、nt know what water is.Likewise,we often do not think too much about the culture we are raised in,Our culture helps to shape our identity.Many of the cues of interpersonal communication are different in different cultures.One of the reasons that we feel like a fish out of water when we enter a new cu
5、lture,is that we dont know all of the cues that are used in the new culture.Peoples response to culture shock vary greatly,from excitement and energetic action to withdrawal,depression,physical illness,and hostility.A particular individual might react to culture shock one way one day and another the
6、 next. It is important to understand that culture shock happens to all people who travel abroad,but some people have much stronger reactions than others.During the first few days of persons stay in a new country,everything usually goes fairly smoothly.The newcomer is excited about being in a new pla
7、ce where there are new sights and sounds,new smells and tastes.The newcomer may have some problems,but usually accepts them as just part of the newness.They may find themselves staying in hotels or be with a homestay family that is excited to meet the foreign stranger.The new acquaintances may want
8、to take the newcomer out to many place and “show them off”.Unfortunately,this kind of phenpmenon wont last very long.Soon,the new comers has to face variety of prpblems.Among them,the most serious problem is communication problems.Because of some culture differences,you may have some diffcluties com
9、munocate with others.In that case,complain arise and your life will be messed up.Some people choose to escape ,you spend much of your time speaking your own language,watching videos from your home country,eating food from home.You may spend most of time complaining about the host culture.Much later,
10、 you may find yourself “return culture shock”and occurs when you return home.You have been away for a long time, becoming comfortable with the habits and customs of a new lifestyle and you may find that you are no longer completely comfortable in your home country. Many things may have changed while
11、 you were away and it may take a little while to become at ease with the cues and signs and symbols of your home culture. The notion of culture shock calls two useful points to mind.First,most people experience some degree of culture shock when they go to a new country,whether they admit it to thems
12、elves and others or not.Culture shock is more a product of the situation of being in a new culture than it is of the travelers personal character.Culture shock refers to the anxiety and feelings such as surprise,disorinentation,uncertainly,felt when people have to operate within a different and unkn
13、own cultural or social environment after leaving everything familiar behind and they have to find their way in a new culture that has a different way of life.It grows out of the diffculties in assimilating the new culture,causing diffculty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not.This is often
14、 combined with a dislike for or even disgust with certain aspect of the new or different culture. Second,culture shock,like other kinds of “shock”,is normally transitory.It passes with time.Academic analysts of the culture shock idea point out that the experience of culture shock need not be negativ
15、e.While there may be some unhappiness and unpleasantness along with the confusion and disorientation,the confusion and disorientation are necessary steps on learning about a new culture.If everything in the new place is just like home,no learning will come from being there. Culture shock is precipit
16、ated by the anxiety that results from losing all familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse.Those signs include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situation of daily life:when to shanke hands and what to say when we meet people,when and how to give tips,how to make p
17、urchases,when to accept and refuse invitations,when to take statements seriously and when not.These signs,which may be words,estures,facial expressions,or customs,are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we accept
18、.All of us depend on hundreds of these signs for our peace of mind and day-to-day efficiency,but we do not carry most at the level of conscious awareness. Culture shock is not something you can avoid when living in a foreigh country.It dosent seem like a very helpful experience when you are going th
19、rough it.However when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more full enjoy it.You learn how to interact with other people,and you learn a considerable amount about life in a culture that isnt your own.Furthermore,learning about other cultures and how to adjust to the shock of living
20、 in them helps you learn more about yourself.Just as it in the movie GUA SHA,maybe for most Chinese,the westerners verdict from the court in this film seems ridiculous and we cant figure out why Americans made such simple things so complicated.And whats more,the way westerners interpreted Xi You Ji
21、in the film really put us on the spotnot only because they seemed so ignorant of Chinese traditional culture,but also they tended to depreciate the figures that have been long occupying a high status in our minds. Reverse culture shock can be very difficult.There is a risk of sickness or emotional problems in many of the phases of culture shock.Remember to be kind to yourself all the time that you are everseas,and when you get home,give yourself time to adjust.Be your own bese friend.
