Culture Shock
Living and studying abroad is an exhilarating and challenging experience. Typically in the first month of the study abroad program, students feel very excited about the program, the environment, the people and the culture. For some, this feeling continues for a long time. For others, however, it some times changes into frustration, mild depression, fatigue, and homesickness. These feelings are totally normal and have been identified by experts as culture shock. They are a response to the unfamiliar realities of a different culture, including often a different language, different social norms, values and attitudes, food and climate. Dealing with these challenges may result in feeling overwhelmed, in irritation with the host culture, and in high levels of stress.
If you accept that culture shock is part of the process of adjusting to a different culture, you should be able to deal with it well. Usually the most difficult stages of the process pass after the first few weeks or a couple of months, although this varies from individual to individual. Good coping strategies include: finding friends within the host community and discussing your concerns and difficulties with them, getting support from other study abroad students, maintaining healthy life style (adequate sleep, good nutrition), using all the wisdom and patience that you have, and maintaining a sense of humor.
If you do not seem to feel better after that initial period, we encourage you to reach out to your program provider in the host country or to contact us at the Global Education Office (617-253- 0676 or jacook@mit.edu). We are here for you, so in case things become too difficult or do not seem to improve over reasonable period of time please do not hesitate to contact us.
For more information on culture shock, you may want to refer to the book Survival Kit for Overseas Living by Robert L. Kohls.
