A college friend of mine moved from Nebraska to Mississippi. While working at the local Pizza Hut in her new town Bill Melton Jersey , she was her usual lively self, greeting the customers with, "Hi guys, what are you ordering today?" She was perplexed that people seemed to be offended but she did not know why. Until one lovely lady replied to her usual cheerful greeting with:"We're not guys! We are women!". She soon learned the proper way to greet people was "Folks" not guys. And that you always say, "Ya'll come back now!" when they leave.
According to the Webster dictionary, culture shock is: "a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation."
The key here is "adequate preparation."
Here are some tips for preparing for culture shock:
1. Do your homework. Be prepared. Learn about the culture Paul Konerko Jersey , how they do things, how they like things, what clothes do they wear, etc. Ok, what about the clothes? Even in the U.S., tastes in clothes are not the same everywhere. What they would usually wear in Miami might look out of place or even inappropriate in Kalona Ozzie Guillen Jersey , Iowa.
2. Talk to people who have been there. Or even someone who had been in the general area. Find out what the most recent local news was. An out-of-town speaker at a local conference made a joke about tornados in Kansas when she started her speech. She was greeted in silence. She was not aware of the fact that a tornado did actually hit a town in the area and had killed a relative of someone in the audience. In a small town where everybody knows everyone, they felt like one big family.
3. Leave your assumptions behind. Be open and ready to learn new ways of doing. Don't assume that just because it was ok to stop people on the streets and talk to them, that in this new place it is alright as well. Observe first and watch how the locals interact before you resort to your usual lively self.
4. Expect culture shock to happen. Just because you were all ecstatic upon arrival, the worst is yet to come. Know that after the initial euphoria, that the anxiety and uncertainty will set in. You could start feeling irritable, having second thoughts about moving to this new place Luis Aparicio Jersey , feeling bored to death, and even start hating anything local. Acknowledge that these symptoms mean that you need to start to engage in your own self-development.
5. Find some support networks. Find a friend you can confide in. Take time to meet go out and meet new people. If you are so new that do not have friends from work or school yet, go to a church and find one where you feel welcomed and comfortable. You do not need to change your religion, but you need to have contact with real people who are interested in you. Talk to people at the grocery store, or wherever you go. You might find someone that has connections to your old hometown.
6. Remain physically active. The worst thing to do is lock yourself in your room and staying in bed. Take a walk to the library. Visit a park. Go to a fitness center. You would find how invigorating it could be.
7. Be intellectually curious. Learn about the town, its history. Visit the local museums and important landmarks and public gatherings. Ask questions Ron Santo Jersey , be genuinely interested in what you see.
8. Be patient. Give yourself time to get over it. Take a look at the benefits of your experience in this new culture. Be aware that if the symptoms get worse, if you continually have feelings of despair and loneliness, that it is best to seek professional help. But most of the time, culture shock can be managed, if one is adequately prepared to tackle the challenges.
Being uninformed and making assumptions can get one in trouble. As you can see from the above examples, you can lose friends Jeff Keppinger Jersey , and even lose tips because of being unprepared. If you are leaving for an extended stay overseas, you might want to invest in cultural training before you leave.
Ya'll come back now!
We all have to do it at some point, and for some of us, talking to strangers is a walk in the park, while for others of us it's absolutely terrifying. Some of us have skill and others are left floundering. Being social is something that never hurts in any part of our lives, and if we do it well it can have a positive impact on our careers Luke Appling Jersey , social life, home life and the connections we keep therein. Here are a few pointers on how to talk to strangers:
Timing is key. Trying to stop someone as they're running to catch a train, getting up to leave, in the middle of a transaction or in any private situation is always the wrong time to try to strike up a conversation. Instead, look for opportunities where there is a lull in the everyday world, like while seated on the bus Harold Baines Jersey , waiting in line, or engaging in a leisurely activity like shopping. Chatting at a bar, a party or a club is for the most part always okay, whereas at other restaurants or coffee shops discretion should be used.
Keep it light. A first meeting is no time to talk about politics, religion or death unless circumstances suggest it. Keep conversation on light topics and engage your partner with more questions than answers. Avoid asking overly personal questions such as age, family situation Nellie Fox Jersey , or home life and focus instead on hobbies, interests and work.
Compliments are a great start, but be careful. Complimenting a scarf, necklace or a pair of shoes is a fantastic way to start a conversation, but even when talking to parties of the same sex (and especially of the opposite) talking about a person's appearance will certainly imply the conversation is meant for a singles hook-up and not to improve your business networking! Even if your intention is to meet singles, young women especially often don't respond kindly to men who immediately focus on appearance.