to advance mutual understanding and peaceful relations...
From a guidebook for Americans studying in Israel, produced by the U.S.-Israel Educational Foundation:Part 5: Culture Shock
When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.
Imagine being dropped into a foreign place where the language is incomprehensible, the people dress differently, the food burns your stomach, the temperature is 45 degrees in the shade, you have no friends, most people’s skin is of a different color, they drive on the wrong side of the road, corruption is rampant, the water is always cold (when its running), and even the stars and the moon seem out of whack! This is the worst-case scenario! Sounds a bit disconcerting? Perhaps many of you and your families have already experienced this.
What is culture shock?
[...] Upon arrival in a foreign country, we usually experience a “honeymoon phase” [...] This may be followed by stage two, the “What am I doing here?” stage. This can be characterized by a hostile and aggressive attitude towards the host country and its people. [...] While you’re suffering from diarrhea, you’ve been robbed, your job is not quite what you expected, you can’t get the hang of the language .. and to top it off the local people seem indifferent to these problems. Your interpretation? They’re being insensitive and unsympathetic to your problems, so you decide, “I just don’t like them.” Ready this may provide a sense of security and a convenient forum for complaining, it doesn’t help much with integration into the local way of life.
Finally comes stage three, typically after about six months, when you accept the customs and other quirks of the host country as just another way of living. At this point, one not only understands and accepts all of the cues of social intercourse - the food, drink, habits and customs - you actually enjoy them.
I just love those nightmarish scenarios they describe. Don't worry, though: USIEF offers some useful tips to deal with culture shock, including
Thanks for the suggestions, USIEF! I wish you'd been there for me while I was writing my honors papers, reminding me to deal with stress as it arises.
But the best part is the section titled...
Same Behavior / Different Labels
Americans tend to see themselves as: Israelis often see Americans as polite
insincere, artificial, lacking spontaneity, excessively formalfriendlynaive, superficial, sexually provocative, artificialrespectful of privacy distant, unfriendly, lacking spontaneity, shy, excessively formalsharing personal concernstastelessly exposing private matters, intrusive, unnecessarily revealing
organized rigid, “square”, inflexible, efficient at the expense of personal relationships, going by the book instead of improvising, focused on procedures instead of task at handrespectful of authority passive, conforming, excessively formal, excessively mindful of hierarchy, focused on roles rather than goals, freier (Hebrew slang for “sucker” or “pushover”)professional arbitrarily differentiating between work and social spheres, excessively formal
efficient arbitrarily differentiating between work and social spheres, unfriendly, overly programmed, lacking spontaneitytrusting and trustworthynaive
Israelis tend to see themselves as: Americans often see Israelis as
Informal rude, familiar, inconsiderate, disrespectful, insubordinate, unprofessional
outspoken, direct, honest tactless, rude, blunt, disrespectful, aggressive, stubborn, insubordinate
spontaneous, open, natural out of control, intrusive, ill-mannered, unprofessional
hospitable, warm
smothering, intrusive, dominating
assertive aggressive, arrogant, ruthless, stubborn
flexible about plans and schedules; casual about rules and regulationsinefficient, sloppy, unprofessional, undisciplined, arrogant, irresponsible, inconsiderate
creative, able to improvise superficial, chaotic, undisciplined, unsystematic
active, taking initiativeinsubordinate, pushy, undisciplined, intrusive, dominating, aggressiveself-confident arrogant
willing to take risks irresponsible, overconfidentwary, alert, realistic
cynical, distrustful
Ah, I can already feel the spirit of mutual understanding and so on.
On the other hand, these two tables make a perfect conversion chart between the thick evaluative adjectives that I learned at home and those I learned at school.
When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.
Imagine being dropped into a foreign place where the language is incomprehensible, the people dress differently, the food burns your stomach, the temperature is 45 degrees in the shade, you have no friends, most people’s skin is of a different color, they drive on the wrong side of the road, corruption is rampant, the water is always cold (when its running), and even the stars and the moon seem out of whack! This is the worst-case scenario! Sounds a bit disconcerting? Perhaps many of you and your families have already experienced this.
What is culture shock?
[...] Upon arrival in a foreign country, we usually experience a “honeymoon phase” [...] This may be followed by stage two, the “What am I doing here?” stage. This can be characterized by a hostile and aggressive attitude towards the host country and its people. [...] While you’re suffering from diarrhea, you’ve been robbed, your job is not quite what you expected, you can’t get the hang of the language .. and to top it off the local people seem indifferent to these problems. Your interpretation? They’re being insensitive and unsympathetic to your problems, so you decide, “I just don’t like them.” Ready this may provide a sense of security and a convenient forum for complaining, it doesn’t help much with integration into the local way of life.
Finally comes stage three, typically after about six months, when you accept the customs and other quirks of the host country as just another way of living. At this point, one not only understands and accepts all of the cues of social intercourse - the food, drink, habits and customs - you actually enjoy them.
I just love those nightmarish scenarios they describe. Don't worry, though: USIEF offers some useful tips to deal with culture shock, including
- realize that culture shock may occur
- develop a social life
- deal with stress as it arises.
Thanks for the suggestions, USIEF! I wish you'd been there for me while I was writing my honors papers, reminding me to deal with stress as it arises.
But the best part is the section titled...
Same Behavior / Different Labels
Americans tend to see themselves as: Israelis often see Americans as polite
insincere, artificial, lacking spontaneity, excessively formalfriendlynaive, superficial, sexually provocative, artificialrespectful of privacy distant, unfriendly, lacking spontaneity, shy, excessively formalsharing personal concernstastelessly exposing private matters, intrusive, unnecessarily revealing
organized rigid, “square”, inflexible, efficient at the expense of personal relationships, going by the book instead of improvising, focused on procedures instead of task at handrespectful of authority passive, conforming, excessively formal, excessively mindful of hierarchy, focused on roles rather than goals, freier (Hebrew slang for “sucker” or “pushover”)professional arbitrarily differentiating between work and social spheres, excessively formal
efficient arbitrarily differentiating between work and social spheres, unfriendly, overly programmed, lacking spontaneitytrusting and trustworthynaive
Israelis tend to see themselves as: Americans often see Israelis as
Informal rude, familiar, inconsiderate, disrespectful, insubordinate, unprofessional
outspoken, direct, honest tactless, rude, blunt, disrespectful, aggressive, stubborn, insubordinate
spontaneous, open, natural out of control, intrusive, ill-mannered, unprofessional
hospitable, warm
smothering, intrusive, dominating
assertive aggressive, arrogant, ruthless, stubborn
flexible about plans and schedules; casual about rules and regulationsinefficient, sloppy, unprofessional, undisciplined, arrogant, irresponsible, inconsiderate
creative, able to improvise superficial, chaotic, undisciplined, unsystematic
active, taking initiativeinsubordinate, pushy, undisciplined, intrusive, dominating, aggressiveself-confident arrogant
willing to take risks irresponsible, overconfidentwary, alert, realistic
cynical, distrustful
Ah, I can already feel the spirit of mutual understanding and so on.
On the other hand, these two tables make a perfect conversion chart between the thick evaluative adjectives that I learned at home and those I learned at school.