Traveling Abroad: 3 Ways to Combat Culture Shock

Many times when students travel abroad for either a short or extended period of time, they experience some sort of culture shock. The feelings of culture shock can either be barely noticeable, or hardly tolerable, but the most important thing to remember is that the feelings of culture shock are completely normal! We have compiled a list of common feelings that students often express when traveling abroad and how those students dealt with the shock. Do you have some additional experiences? Feel free to share them in the comment section with us!

1. You become frustrated with new or different foods.

• Offer to cook a meal from your home country for your host family. This gesture will allow you to experience a bit of your home culture while also sharing it with your host family. Every country has a unique array of foods, but it is comforting when you can taste something from home every now and then!

2. You become discouraged when trying to speak German.

• Carry a dictionary with you and don't be afraid to use it when you don't know a word or are confused in conversation. This effort shows that you are trying to learn the language and do not want to depend on your English. Another way to overcome the language barrier is to practice! Make a deal with a German friend that you will only speak German to him or her. Let your friend practice English with you and then it's a win-win situation!

3. The smallest differences start to bother you. You overreact and don't understand why.

• Start a journal and write your feelings down every day. Perhaps this will help you understand your frustrations and work through them. It's OK to talk about your feelings with others and remember that differences are not good or bad - they are just different than your norm.

We encourage our students to integrate fully into the German life when they come to high school in Germany. By providing them avenues of support through the DFSR office, coordinators in their region throughout the country, and other students studying abroad, we hope that all students have a positive experience and cultural immersion into the day-to-day life of a German.

Have you had an experience with culture shock? Feel free to share it with us!