The different phases resulting from culture changes, illustrated by my personal experience

The different phases resulting from culture changes, illustrated by my personal experience 1) Introduction Life as an exchange student is no different from the one the student normally lives. There are days when everything seems to be miserable or go wrong and days when everything is wonderful and cheerful. But living in a foreign country may intensify the range of his emotions, because of the numerous differences he is likely to come across and all the changes and adaptation he is bound to make. Therefore, a year abroad can be stressful and even painful at times, but also exciting and joyful. These mood changes can be seen in a general pattern of emotional ups and downs varying over the year. This pattern is commonly called "the adjustment cycle". 1 Through this work the theory about the phases of this cycle will be clarified. It will be explained what an international student commonly goes trough: the expectations of psychological, sociocultural adaptation prior to departure, the fluctuations in cross-cultural adaptation over time, and the process of re-entry to home. These topics will be highlighted with my own experience as I was an exchange student over one year in New-Zealand. 1.1) Understanding the adjustment cycle Although the adjustment cycle is different for every single experience, it is important to explore and comprehend it to help the student to understand his feelings while he is overseas. Moreover, knowing about the ups and downs that most students go through can reassure him that his feelings are totally suitable and normal. What is generally observed in this cycle is a three-phase intercultural model that includes initial adjustment, crisis, and regained adjustment: the first is the optimistic or idealistic phase of the sojourners' adjustment process that is called the honeymoon phase, where the student is keen about living in a new place. The second is the stressful phase when reality or routine sets in and the student is overwhelmed by his own incomprehension and ignorance, this is the time of crisis, where the cultural difference leads to culture shock. The third is the settling-in phase, when the sojourner learns to cope with the new environment and habits, this is the recovery or the adjustment, where the sojourner gradually learns how to better live in a new environment. But actually, we can divide this pattern in even more elements including a pre-departure and a postdeparture phase. It is common that the exchange student is going through a 1 The exchange student survival kit/ Bettina Hansel, (second edition) 1 U-curve of adjustment. Figure 1 :The W-curve of exchange The idea is quite simple: if the level of adjustment, adaptation and well-being over time is drawn, a Ushape appears. Upon tasting the new culture he is in good spirits, but gradually encounters more and more problems eventually leading to the lowest point of despair and disappointment. In the middle of the crisis (culture shock), there seems to be no way out. The student has hit the bottom. The student gradually adjusts and gains back his good spirits. Gullahorn and Gullahorn (1963) extended the U-curve model to include the sojourner's homecoming. They found that when the student goes back home, he often experiences a similar adjustment process (often referred to a reentry or reverse culture shock). The student "has to re-adjust to his home culture. In the whole process (entry and reentry) the traveler experiences two U-curves of adjustment or a W-curve "(see Figure 1). 2. Although the figure 1 is representative for the ups and downs that a student can go through, it is surely too generalized and too vague to precisely predict and understand exchange student's adjustments over time. In an exercise that I did with other students who went overseas, I asked them to draw me a similar graph according to their experience. The problem with this figure was obvious: first not everybody started off in the phase of supposed adjustment, euphoria and optimism, some were unhappy, depressed or anxious right from the beginning of their year abroad (some even before). Second, some never became depressed or anxious and enjoyed the experience and adapted right from the start. Third, some told me that they never learned the new culture nor developed reciprocal relationship with their host family or friends. Others, on the contrary developed huge contacts with them. When there were U-curves, they were of various shapes, some were tall, other flat and all quite irregular. Therefore the figure 1 can't be representative of a dynamic process of adaptation, and show its complexity. Thus, the advantage of this figure is that it can explain different adjustment profiles. The successful culturelearner for example should exhibit a typical U-curve and after re-entry a W- 2 Intercultural Sojourning and the Hero's Journey: http://www.mythsdreamssymbols.com/heroadventure.html 2 curve. A crisis is of course not absolutely necessary, but it is part of a normal adaptation process. Experienced travelers should show a flat curve and unsuccessful one a declining curve during sojourn and a rising one after their return. 3 1.2) The adjustment cycle of my experience4 This graph as shown is representative of my personal experience of the culture phases, through my year abroad. The predeparture phase was characterized by a mix of fear and excitement. Then as I arrived in New-Zealand, this was a high phase, everything was new and seemed wonderful. But shortly after the honeymoon, I began to feel down and homesick, I was experiencing the culture shock. Then I gradually got out of my isolation and was feeling better. I started to feel like at home and had developed a routine. At the end of my year, I developed a true bi-cultural identity. I had completely forgotten my life back home. I was at ease in every situation; in my host family (I was calling my host parents "mum" and "dad"), at school, I was always surrounded by friends, and I even liked to go to the church! Two or three weeks before my return was due, I got struck by how fast my year had gone; I didn't want to go back. I began to feel very sad, and I started only slowly to pack my bags the day before, I couldn't believe that I was going away. Then at my arrival in Switzerland, I was excited to see all my friends and family again. But this feeling didn't last long, and I began to get homesick in my own country! The reverse curve started all over again. 3 Culture shock, psychological reactions to unfamiliar environments/ Adrian Furnham and Stephen Bochner, p.135 4 Graph adapted from: http://thamesvalleymums.typepad.com/ 3 2) Phase 1: The pre-departure phase The pre-departure phase is an emotional high phase (high in the graph), commonly filled with a lot of expectations and dreams about the new country. These fantasies about life in another country are enjoyable, but surely not very realistic. At this point, the student is far from imagining the experiences that will fill his year abroad; therefore he should always keep an open attitude and be ready for the unexpected. There is always at least some anxiety, mixed in with excitement. I remember when I received the first email from my host family, I couldn't stop running and singing around the house, I was very excited! I started looking for all sorts of information about my host town, the climate, the beach, the nightclubs, my school... I wrote some emails to my host family and students who had been to the same school I was going to attend and asked a lot of questions. I remember having asked things about how the people greet the nightlife, how hard was school, what were the subjects. But after some time, when I had calmed down, when I suddenly realised that it was the very beginning of my year abroad, I began to be worried about meeting my host family, for example. I wondered whether they would like me, or how different they would be. As I had to read the emails that my host family was sending me more than three times to fully understand their content, I was also worried about my ability in English. I hardly slept the nights before my departure; I thought about how far New Zealand was and about how long I would be away from my parents and my friends. My life at home suddenly seemed fragile and important to me. This time is characterised by the uncertainty of the moment, of everything that's happening. I remember even when I boarded the plane, I couldn't believe my eyes that it was really happening, that I was going away for a whole year! I felt like it was only a dream, and I said goodbye to my family as simply as I would be going away for only a few weeks, without dropping any tears. I was happy and in mean time worried, I didn't know what to expect and I wasn't sure I made the good choice. 3) Phase 2: Arrival: the honeymoon phase/ the tourist phase During the first weeks of the arrival (usually 2-3 weeks) the differences between the old and the new culture are seen in an idealistic way, everything seems wonderful new and exotic. For example, in moving to a new country, an individual might be keen on tasting new food, adore the pace of life, the people's habits, the landscape and so on.5 This is the time of fascination, 5 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock) euphoria, discoveries and adventures. The differences, experiences and perceptions are positive and exciting. The behaviour is guided by a strong curiosity and interest; the student is keen to collect new and crispy information about the host country and experience new things. The student at this point feels very little fear about the host culture and the novelty often leads him to a certain sense of freedom that can be felt as a relief from all the constraining rules he had back home. This phase is also called the tourist phase, because the student often abuses his freedom and doesn't evaluate correctly his responsibilities towards the host culture. He's is imprisoned in his back-home identity and the new experiences always feel unrealistic. Therefore we can say that he tends to act with much detachment, like a tourist, by not always thinking the consequences of his acts or attitude and by being naïve sometimes. As I arrived in New Zealand; I was struck by a number of things that all of a sudden excited and delighted me a lot. At first, when I looked out of the aircraft window, I couldn't get my eyes off the land that seemed endlessly green and wonderful. I was sitting by the window on this beautiful, sun-sparkling morning and gazed with enchantment at the "Mount Maunganui", its volcano-like silhouette, right down to the sea, leant against the brilliant sky and followed by a long pristine sandy beach. I was about to land in "Tauranga". Once I met up with my host family in the airport, I immediately felt comfor...