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If you\u2019ve been considering a career abroad, you\u2019ve probably run into the term \u201cCulture Shock\u201d\u00a0more than a few times. This expression gets bandied about in expat teaching circles quite a bit, but if you\u2019re planning to move overseas for the first time, it\u2019s important to make sure you have an in-depth understanding of this issue. That\u2019s what I\u2019d like to help with today, as well as offering some advice on how to deal with it, based on my own experience spanning 11 years living and teaching in Japan<\/a>.\u00a0Most common definitions of culture shock go something like this: \u201c…a feeling of disorientation, experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.\u201d This sounds about right to me, but I would add that disorientation is only one possible reaction, among a range of possible reactions. The particular symptoms of culture shock that each of us may experience will depend on a number of specific factors including: where we\u2019re from, where we\u2019re\u00a0going, our past experience, our personalities, our expectations (or lack thereof), and many more. The severity of your particular symptoms can also vary. You may experience no culture shock whatsoever, you may feel disoriented, or you may want to get on the next plane home – depressed and thinking that\u00a0you\u2019ve made a terrible mistake. Avoiding that latter outcome depends on, in my experience, taking\u00a0steps to address those factors that are actually within your control, and being truly honest with yourself about anything that isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Many ESL organizations (Oxford Seminars included) take steps to counsel teachers about culture shock, and this is a great help, to be sure. Our website<\/a> helps in recognizing symptoms, and in offering\u00a0advice about how to mitigate culture shock. This advice, however, is largely directed at those who are\u00a0already experiencing culture shock, while I believe very much in the old adage that \u2018an ounce of\u00a0prevention is worth a pound of cure.\u2019 As a Psychology major, I was very much aware of culture shock\u00a0before I went to Japan<\/a>, and I believe this knowledge helped a great deal in arming myself against it.\u00a0That\u2019s why I want to talk to you about what you can do before you get on the plane, to make sure that you get the most out of your ESL\/EFL teaching experience from day one. Let\u2019s take a look at the factors mentioned above. Where you\u2019re coming from will have a\u00a0significant impact on your openness to new experiences, believe it or not. An awareness of how much or\u00a0how little your culture has prepared you to experience a foreign culture can actually allow you to do\u00a0some damage control, especially if you suspect that it hasn\u2019t prepared you very well. That said, judging\u00a0your own culture\u2019s attitudes toward foreign cultures may not be an exact science – especially if your own\u00a0culture is all you\u2019ve ever known firsthand – but if you look back and see a lot of gaping holes in what you were taught about other cultures as a child, then filling in some of these holes on your own will serve\u00a0you well if you plan to travel abroad.<\/p>\n The next factor, where you\u2019re going, ties in very closely with the first. This is because it\u2019s the\u00a0difference between where you\u2019re from and where you\u2019re going that often underpins just how much\u00a0culture shock people actually feel once their boots hit the ground in another country. All other factors\u00a0aside, if you\u2019re going to a place where the culture has nothing in common with the culture you\u2019re leaving, then it\u2019s safe to expect a period of adjustment will be in order. So, how could you mitigate this?\u00a0Knowing that it\u2019s coming is half the battle, but the more you know about the new culture, the less of a\u00a0shock you tend to feel, so some prior research can go a long way. Going from Canada to Japan<\/a> was, for me, quite a stark contrast, but having studied the culture and history of Japan<\/a> for years definitely helped a lot.<\/p>\n This leads us to past experience. I found that most of the people in my circle had something in\u00a0their past that tied them to Japan<\/a>, and as such, they found certain touchstones to give them comfort in\u00a0their transition to daily life there. My martial arts background and lifelong interest in the history of Japan<\/a>\u00a0acted as a cushion of sorts, softening the impact of being suddenly transplanted there. A little familiarity or a few common threads can go a long way in adjusting to life overseas, and so these are the\u00a0placement options that I would prioritize when deciding where to go. It can be a fun adventure to go\u00a0somewhere completely new, but without anything in your experience to guide you, the honeymoon\u00a0phase can wear off quickly.<\/p>\n Next, you have to be honest about how your own personality will influence your experience in\u00a0another country. Personality type, including factors like openness, extroversion, agreeableness,\u00a0conscientiousness and neuroticism, play a big role in how well suited you are to adapt to new\u00a0environments. While someone scoring high on the first four might adapt to a different culture with\u00a0relative ease, someone more closed, introverted, or confrontational might find that a more familiar\u00a0culture is the best choice for them. Some cultures also tend to value certain traits more than others, so\u00a0in a way, your choice of country can be a means to play to your strengths. For me, a person who naturally values discipline, politeness and cleanliness, Japan<\/a> was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n Finally, it is worth recognizing that there is truth in the saying \u201cour expectations determine our\u00a0reality\u201d. Most disappointment stems from unrealistic expectations, and conversely when we keep our\u00a0expectations low, we often tend to be pleasantly surprised. Managing expectations, perhaps more than\u00a0any other factor on this list, can make the difference between enjoying an experience for what it is, and resenting an experience because it isn\u2019t what we envisioned. If you can train yourself to stay in the moment, small disappointments won\u2019t build into something worse over time, and this is a skill that can\u00a0be honed with practice.<\/p>\n![\"Food](\"\/\/www.oxfordseminars.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_2713-1024x768.jpg\")
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Lucas Laplante has taught English in Japan for a total of 11 years, mostly with the JET Programme. From 2005-2008 Luke was living and working in Beppu city and Oita city, Oita prefecture. Then, from 2013-2021, he worked in Miyakojima, Okinawa, and Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. During his time teaching in Japan Luke taught everyone from Kindergarten to retirees, in both the public and private school systems. He\u2019s currently a Job Placement Advisor with Oxford Seminars.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"