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!

High School Germany: 30 Students Arrive for Orientation!

Inbound students pose for a photo with their new shirts!

The DFSR headquarters is lively as ever today as we welcome thirty inbound students from all over the world. The students have traveled from Canada, Ecuador, Japan, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Macedonia, and Italy, and are living at the DFSR headquarters here in Heppenheim, Germany for two weeks while attending intensive German courses and orientation. After the two weeks, the students will travel throughout the country to meet their host families and start high school. The orientation period gives the students time to develop a support network, in addition to the one that they already have from DFSR. The students will live in different cities throughout the country, but will always have connections and friendships that they make through this two week orientation program.

For the next two weeks, the DFSR coordinators have planned exciting outings for the students. In addition to German lessons every day, the students will be able to go swimming, shopping, to the zoo and visit nearby cities such as Heidelberg and Frankfurt.  Here are a few photos from the first days of orientation!

The group gathers for a photo in front of DFSR

Frankie the owl adorns all shirts!

With the temperature at a toasty 34° C  (94° F), students enjoyed cooling off by the fountain.

Trying to beat the heat with some fountain splashing!

Using new German skills to order ice cream

Enjoying some Eis (Ice cream) in the Heppenheim Marktplatz

Students enjoying lunch in the DFSR garden

Students borrow these DFSR bikes to explore Heppenheim.

International Dinner: What's cooking?

On Friday evening, our seven inbound students decided to have an "international dinner" and cook for each other. After shopping at the local supermarket, each student prepared a dish from their home country and shared a bit of their culture with the other students.

The students are staying here at the DFSR residence in Heppenheim, Germany for two weeks while attending German language orientation and getting acquainted with life abroad. They will meet their host families at the end of this week before starting high school in Germany next week. We have captured some photos from their international dinner along with the recipes to share with you! Guten apetit!

Our Canadian students shared traditional Sheppard's Pie from Quebec. Here's how they made it:

Ingredients:
Ground Beef
Corn
Mashed Potatoes
Cream
Ketchup as a condiment

Directions:
1.Cook the ground beef in a skillet until it is browned.
2. At the same time, boil and mash potatoes, add the cream as you mash.
3. Place the items in a baking dish in the following order: Ground beef, corn, mashed potatoes.
4. Cook the dish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
5. Eat with ketchup, and enjoy!

More recipes to come...

Shopping at the supermarket!

Girls getting ready for the dinner!

Getting ready together!

Cooking Sheppard's Pie!

Cooking in the kitchen! Students work together to create a delicious array of foods.

Student's enjoying their homemade dinner.