Cultural shock, have you ever experienced it? It can be rough!

[ajak568]

I think what nobody's mentioned in this forum is that 'culture shock' doesn't always mean a literal 'shock.' It's more often a more gradual thing with different stages, and almost everybody feels it if left in a foreign environment for a long enough time. I don't know all the stages, but I have a rough idea of what they are. The first is the 'honeymoon' stage where you are really excited and loving everything around you and all the new things you see. Gradually over time you start to think of things about your new environment that don't quite measure up to 'home'. Maybe the weather's too hot or too cold or your new bed is uncomfortable or you just want to eat your own kind of food. It's a little after this kicks in that you start to feel a strong desire to just go home. THAT'S culture shock, when you don't want anything else but to just go home. Normally, though, most people get over these stages in the course of a few months and end up living happy lives in their new environments. (Except in some extreme cases like Japanese tourists in France!)

I was suprised that this actually happened to me when spending a semester in Spain. I never thought it would happen, because it's just another semester at university, right? It's Europe, it's not the middle of the Sahara desert or anything, and I've never been homesick in my life, besides. Moving away from home to attend college didn't phase me one bit. I did feel homesickness for North Carolina, though, and for this reason I googled a lot of things about culture shock to educate myself a little, and sure enough I got through it and I will actually be really sad to leave Asturias in a few weeks although I will be excited to go home again. . .then I'll be fearing reverse culture shock. :-P

[JPablo]

Thank you, Aja. It is funny, but I guess it has to do to with what activity you are doing, and if you enjoy yourself to the max... At this point, I think, while there is a lot of diversity in this little planet, to one degree or another I think that the "global hamlet" 'envisioned' by Mcluhan, is now a reality... and one can 'be' anywhere just clicking a couple of times... of course, it is not the same a virtual world, that one 'solid' and absolutely real... like, I love Barcelona to the core... yet, I have not been living there for a couple of decades!

At any rate, I have never been in Asturias, although my aunt lived in Oviedo for quite a while... and my dad taught me the song (I believe their anthem), Asturias, patria querida... Asturias, de mis amores... quién estuviera en Asturias, en algunas ocasiones... [Asturias, beloved country... Asturias of my love... I wish I was in Asturias, some (specific) times/occasions...]

In Spanish we also have the idiom "estar curado de espanto" similar or equivalent to "she’s seen/heard it all before". So, I take that the more "culture shocks" one gets, the easier it becomes to overcome these... There are people around feeling homesick about a far away planet, or star... in a far away galaxy... well, what can I say...

[Elaina]

I agree with ajak....culture shock comes in stages as everything else. The way he/she explained it is perfect....1st stage being the honeymoon stage. I myself went through it initially but then with time I became "desarraigada". There was nothing in my old hometown/state to make me want to go back. I didn't have family or friends or anything and life where I live was very difficult for a young, impressionable 16 y/o. Of course that was a few years ago and thoughts of my hometown are but fleeting memories that come only once in a while.

Aw, now I'm feeling sad... but not homesick.

[JPablo]

Bueno, Elaina, si hay algo en concreto que te hizo sentir triste, te recomiendo lo siguiente:
RECUERDA
1. La siguiente ocasión después de esa en que adquiriste algo que te gustaba.
2. Recuerda algo que tienes ahora con lo que te lo pasas bien.
3. Recuerda algo que querías durante mucho tiempo y que finalmente conseguiste.
4. Recuerda la ocasión en que alguien fue muy amable contigo.
5. Recuerda el dinero más reciente que recibiste.
6. Recuerda estar cenando anoche.
7. Recuerda estar comiendo hoy.
Aparte de practicar más español, espero que te sientas más contenta...

[Elaina]

Gracias. Yo practico el español todos los dias. Lo hablo, lo leo, lo escribo, lo traduzco, lo interpreto, etc. etc. etc.

¡Y ME ENCANTA!

[JPablo]

¡Fantástico! Me alegro de verdad. Si me dijeras que eras de Valladolid, quizá hasta me lo creería... pues veo que lo dominas con soltura...

Yo el inglés sólo lo domino, si es más bajo y más debilucho que yo...

[CrOtALiTo]

Elaina. I have a question for you.

Where is Valladolid here in Mexico there's a little city named Valladolid, that city is from Mérida state, then I have curiosity to know if Valladolid is near from Spain.

Thank you for the advance.

[JPablo]

Oh, yeah. Valladolid in Spain is North West of Madrid (center of Spain). The Valladolid university has always had a very good prestige in terms of use of the best Castilian Spanish accent and syntactic and semantic usage... you know, something like Oxford, Cambridge for UK and/or Harvard for the US... Sorry, Haaa.va.d (pronounce it properly, please.)

[Elaina]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Oh, yeah. Valladolid in Spain is North West of Madrid (center of Spain). The Valladolid university has always had a very good prestige in terms of use of the best Castilian Spanish accent and syntactic and semantic usage... you know, something like Oxford, Cambridge for UK and/or Harvard for the US... Sorry, Haaa.va.d (pronounce it properly, please.)

Yes! You must pronouce it properly... a la .... President Kennedy.

[ajak568]

Yea, that's like a Boston accent type "Harvard." . . .I'm not from Massachussetts, so I pronounce the "r." Of course, maybe that's the 'true' pronounciation since Harvard is in Massachussetts, haha!