Experience on Culture Shock

Ashima Choudhary

Level – 105 (Kyle)

07/09/07

Homework Assignment – 2

Topic: - Experience on Culture Shock

“What is culture shock?” A culture shock is a term used to describe the anxiety, disorientation, and confusion of mind. Culture shock is the process of initial adjustment of an unfamiliar environment.

“Why we have a culture shock?” Individual person is coming into contact with an entirely different social and geographical environment. Experiencing a new society or a new culture sometime effect very bad for example 1) unpleasant feeling cause of sadness or depression, 2) illness or disease, 3) feeling of loneliness and helpless, 4) unexpected anxiety, feeling of disgust. Most of time culture shock happens with international students and immigrants.

My culture shock began when I had arrived to live in Los Angeles. My anxiety had started from the very first day. After my husband had gone to office for work I would have nothing to do at home. I would feel so unhappy, bore and helpless sitting alone at home and waiting for my husband. I had started frequently calling him to ask “When are you coming home? I am not feeling good. I need you. Please come home I am feeling lonely here.” Then he would become irritated and frustrated with me. On the other hand, I felt that now he stopped to love me, care about me, and think about me. Because of all this, one day I had become very frustrated and I told him “Please book my ticket. I want to go back to India. I don’t want to stay here. You don’t have time for me. I am so lonely here. I don’t have any friends and family here. I need some company to hang out. I don’t have job here. I am wasting my time to sit ideal at home.” Now he understood why I felt like that. After that he calmed down and lovingly sat with me. “Ashu don’t worry you will be fine after few months. Don’t feel lonely and unhappy. I am always with you. This is normal baby it takes time to adjust in a new environment.” He explained to me. I realized “Yes he is right.”

Furthermore one day my husband and I went out for dinner with his friends. In the restaurant my husband started to introduce me to his friends. And suddenly I felt awkward and with strange feeling, because one by one his friends hugged me and kiss me on my cheek. I felt so embraced with their unfamiliar behavior. to them.” They were very friendly to me in very first meeting. It shows that I know them very well or they know me very well. After finishing dinner we came home and I asked Rishi. “Why don’t stop them, when your friends are giving me a hug and a kiss I wondered, “What is going on with me. Why they are doing like this. Why Rishi is not saying anything on my cheek. Why they are so friendly? No body is doing like that in India. Is this normal here?” He gave me cute smile and made me understand that this is normal here. This is one type of greeting when you meet your friends and family here. Then I realized I had a culture shock.

In conclusion, I have undergone these kinds of funny and at times awkward experiences. I learned to deal with a new place without any friends and family members.