Culture Shock from Sonja
Culture Shock: is it affecting you?
In recent years travel to far flung destinations has become a popular pastime with people of all ages. Traveling and working in a foreign country however, is like having your cake and eating it too. While traveling allows you to see an incredible country, visit historical sites and landmarks, taste sensational and sometimes unusual food, stare in awe at various wonders of nature, working in a foreign country gives you something deeper, richer: exposure to that country’s culture. Suddenly you aren’t just hurtling along in a bus that’s packed to the rafters intent on photographing remarkable scenery or temples, you’re living in another country, free to immerse yourself in the culture, gain a great sense of who the locals are, their behaviour, customs and history.
Cultural immersion is an exciting and rewarding part of living in a foreign country, but it can also be tedious, frustrating and exhausting. Before embarking on a new life abroad I try to prepare myself for the fact that my new home will be very different from the one I know so well in Australia. Unfortunately, no matter how much reading and research I do, culture shock always affects me. The degree which culture shock affects me varies from country to country. In London it was mild, in Austria it was medium and in China it was of earthquake proportions.
For me, culture shock in China was like being at the beach, catching a huge wave with the intent of riding it all the way to the shore line, excited by the thrill of the prospective ride, only to be caught unexpectedly by the strength of the wave. Instead of a smooth ride the wave breaks early, I am caught in the undertow, tossed about in a barrage of water and sand, and finally land on the beach. I emerged from the experience shaken, disoriented, and a little out of breath.
To say that China is different is an understatement. China is a whole other world. From the moment of my arrival I experienced a huge sensory overload. There were so many new and different things to focus on, understand and adapt to. The sheer volume of people surprised me. I came from a city of four million people and expected Foshan to be similar. What I hadn’t factored in was the lack of space. In Australia there is so much space that cities are spread out, whereas in Foshan it seemed as if the whole city converged in one spot.
The traffic was manic and out of control. Obeying traffic lights seemed optional. Scooters, cars and trucks randomly veer up onto the footpath to avoid a red light, to travel up a one way street or use the pedestrian crossing as a short cut across the road. I constantly felt unsafe walking along the footpath, having to be alert for traffic on what I believed should be a safe place for me to walk.
Naïve as it may sound I wasn’t prepared for the complete lack of English. I wrongly assumed that a city the size of Foshan would have experienced exposure to the English language, and as such there would be a certain degree of familiarity. I was so wrong. My saving grace was the Chinese phrase book that I’d packed at the last minute. I wouldn’t have survived the first few months without it. It surprised me that the people weren’t accustomed to seeing foreigners, and I found the constant staring unnerving. Initially the long blatant stares and pointing alarmed me. Were people merely unaccustomed to seeing a blonde haired foreigner in their midst or were they displeased that I was in their country? I really had no idea. It took a while, but then I realized that most Chinese are very shy. If I smiled or said hello I was rewarded with big smiles and shy hellos in return.
Initially day to day life was difficult. Everything from going shopping to deciding where to have dinner and what to eat was hard work. Dining was a definite challenge. The food here is very different from that served at my local Chinese restaurant in Australia. Chicken, actually all manner of fowl, arrived with bones, head and feet included. How on earth was I supposed to get the meat off the bone whilst using chopsticks? The Chinese excelled at this particular dining skill. Me, I was clumsy, and often resorted to using my fingers which may have been acceptable at home, but here, was I committing a major social gaffe? I had no idea.
The school where I work offered free Chinese (Mandarin) lessons and I attended eagerly. While I seemed to be getting a fair grasp on the four various tones, the locals all spoke Cantonese and my attempts to communicate often left me frustrated. I was speaking Chinese, but I wasn’t being understood, and I couldn’t understand what was being said to me. It was disheartening and dampened my enthusiasm for learning Mandarin. What was the point of learning a language that wasn’t widely spoken or understood in the city where I lived? When I traveled to other provinces however, my basic Mandarin proved a lifesaver. I simply had to accept that I lived in Guangdong province, otherwise known as Canton, and Cantonese was the primary language.
Little things like queue jumping irritated me until I learned to do as the locals do and jump the occasional queue myself. Afterall, living in a new country means observing local customs doesn’t it? Often content to wait in line at the bank, post office or the bus station, when I was short on time, or uncertain of where I was traveling to, I would head to the front of the queue, and no one would bat an eyelid.
Saving face is a custom that I had read about, and thought I understood, at least intellectually. In practice it’s a different story. I’m accustomed to a direct approach when dealing with problems, and looking to find a solution that benefits all involved. I discovered at work that ‘saving face’ can cause much frustration and misunderstanding between foreigners and locals.
I have experienced many magical moments, eaten delicious new food, seen remarkable sights and countryside, and taught hundreds of fabulous, eager adorable children. The teaching has been an incredible part of my time in China. I love teaching the younger kids. They are so excited, enjoy learning, and have so much fun in class. It’s rewarding to see the look of achievement in their eyes when they are finally able to pronounce a difficult word or phrase. The impromptu hugs I get in the middle of a class just make me melt. Having never taught before it was hard work prepping for classes and figuring out what works and what doesn’t with various age groups. But one day it all just fell into place, became easier, was less work more, enjoyable.
In the beginning I struggled with the differences between my culture and the one I am now living in. While I have at times been frustrated beyond belief, I have also come to understand the cultural behaviour of this country and its people who have opened their doors and allowed me to work here. It’s been extremely rewarding.
Sadly this is not the case with all foreigners and I have witnessed some unfavourable behaviour that’s made me wince in embarrassment. I think some of this bad behaviour is a result of culture shock, and so, I’ve come up with some tips for coping when in China, or any country for that matter.
If you are in the throes of culture shock don’t:
• Yell and intimidate your Chinese co-workers or treat them as if they are beneath you.
• Speak poorly about China in the presence of local people.
• Demand that your boss buy and install expensive equipment because that’s how things are in your home country.
• Constantly make comparisons that things are more efficient and organized at home.
• Make slurs against the local people’s intelligence. They may not be able to communicate using long, fancy English words but that doesn’t make them stupid.
• Push your religion and a belief in God upon others, or get into political discussions. In China these subjects are taboo for people to freely discuss and it makes them very uncomfortable.
• Don’t arrogantly tell your boss how to improve their school, its running systems etc. Observe how things work for a while, and then gently offer a suggestion. Remember the ‘saving face’ factor.
To lesson the effects of culture shock do:
• Call family/friends back home during times of homesickness.
• Talk to other people/ teachers around you, they’ve probably experienced culture shock too.
• Be more patient with those around you.
• Remember that English is a second language for the locals and as such you will need to speak more slowly, clearly and often simplify your use of words.
• Take the time to try and understand the customs and behaviour of the country you are in.
The major point to remember is that you aren’t at home. You are in someone else’s home. Stop making the comparisons between countries and accept that things are done differently in this country. The whole point of living in a new country is to experience different behaviours, beliefs and cultures, to learn new things, to open up and grow a little. Travel is all about change. Yet change can be frightening, hence the reason many travelers expect things to be the way they are at home.
China is a country full of change and growth. Living here will throw even the most seasoned traveler off balance for a while. If this happens to you, take a deep breath, plunge right in and go with the flow. Appreciate the differences that are in front of you and enjoy the exciting new elements that present themselves everyday. Living in China takes patience and perseverance. If you pack these into your backpack along with your sense of humour then you are guaranteed to have a good time. Look beyond the surface and you will come to understand the shyness of the Chinese people, appreciate their desire to move forward from a painful history and hopefully make some good friends along the way.
posted by Harry Clements-Shepherd at
3:58 PM
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