Korean Culture Shock!!!

You've heard about it, maybe even experienced it, or just pain fear it... culture shock exists. And guess what, you may be affected by it when you move here to Korea.

Culture shock, in my personal definition, is when you don't adapt to a new culture properly and thus have feelings that often include depression, anxiety, and remorse. Now, does culture shock affect everyone? NO! Does culture shock affect everyone differently? YES! It is easy to get shocked for some people, often when the new culture is very different from your own. But still, there are others that will never get the shock, at all!

Here in Korea, some small things can really give you culture shock. Here is a short list:

• different greetings
• respect levels according to age, status, and position
• food
• weather
• appearances 
• language barriers
• politics and freedom

Now, these aren't necessarily unique to Korea, but let's just say Sally enters Korea as a study abroad student. The first thing notices is that her new roommate bows to greet her and doesn't speak a lick of English. Sally then stresses about how she will communicate. Then Sally goes to a restaurant outside campus and manages to order food. Sally would normally eat a hamburger or spaghetti for lunch back home, but a steaming bowl of kimchi jjigae is placed in front of her. Spicy, and full of foreign flavors, she decides to skip the jjigae and only eat at the small cheeseburger joint near her house, occasionally going out to find foreign restaurants.

This situation will lead to culture shock. Missing home, food, friends and family are all inevitable. She may want to go home halfway through the semester, even. So, to counter culture shock, Sally should:

• research her destination to know what to expect prior to arrival
• try new foods and find what she likes before giving up
• cook her own food if possible
• start learning the language prior to coming
• call home less often, making each call special
• utilize resources like exchange offices and student support
• make friends of all kinds

Culture shock can be scary, but also easy to overcome. Always try your best and be open to new things.... you're here for a reason!