How to Cope With a Culture Shock!
The new sights, tastes, smells and sounds that you experience when you start teaching English abroad can be incredible, but they can also be a little overwhelming. So it’s only natural to suffer a spot of culture shock. Here’s how to prevent it:
1) Don’t panic
“I’ve just arrived and no one speaks English what do I do?!” Calm down… everyone feels like this. You’ve just arrived in a new country – of course you’re not familiar with everything! Imagine if you were welcoming someone into your country, they probably wouldn’t even know where to start! Give things time to settle and find a place that you can call a comfortable sanctuary for yourself. And more importantly…
2) Be open to new things!
When you arrive somewhere new, it’s best to go into with an open mind! So get out there and start exploring. This way you can find where you’ll be shopping for your groceries, where you can learn to dress like the locals, and even your new local bar! By doing so, you’ll surely meet your new neighbours and even make some friends along the way. Just remember, be yourself!
3) Remember your roots
When you are miles away from home, you’re going to have the odd moments when you feel down, so always bring some photos and other items which remind you of home. It will really help you along your journey. It is also a good idea to get a phone card and sign up to Skype so your beloved friends and family don’t actually feel that far away! You will probably have a lot of free time so you can always catch up with people back at home!
4) Learn a few new phrases
Attempting to learn the language of the country you are visiting will not only help you to get around but also make you confident whilst you’re there. It also shows that you respect the place you are living and you never know, you could make a few friends among the locals.
5) Manage your expectations
Whilst you may have all your flights booked and are beaming with the anticipation of arriving in your new home away from home, it’s always worth checking out the place you’ll be staying. This way you know exactly what to expect so you won’t be in for any awkward surprises – after all you might not know about your new neighbours – like the infamous monkeys who call downtown Lopburi in Thailand their home.
You can get a good idea of what to expect by reading other people’s stories and accounts – like the ones on i-to-i’s Chalkboard. Keep an eye out for the kind of challenges they come across! It’s always worth knowing how to handle any situations out of the ordinary.
6) Remember… you’re not there forever!
Make the most of your adventure, as it might not be something you plan on doing forever. Do as much as you can and see what you can, just live for the moment! Don’t waste your time worrying about things, this is most likely to be the most fulfilling and enriching experiences of your life so you don’t want to have regrets that you didn’t make the most out of your TEFL experience!
