NEW YORK CITY – The “cultural shock” is a state of physical and psychological disorientation caused by contact with a new environment and a new culture. This situation causes a series of discomforts such as anxiety, fear, sadness, loss of confidence, among others. In recent decades, the cultural shock has affected the majority of international students traveling with exchange programs, given that their stays in the United States continue for months.

According to Jesus Aceves-Losa, a professional from the Institute of American Language and Culture that is responsible for explaining to international students the characteristics of cultural shock, this natural phenomenon can appear in anyone who moves from his country to another of a different culture, but it seems more shocking among young people, since, in addition to changing countries, they also experience complete autonomy away from their families.

“The cultural shock involves a series of sudden changes, which are reflected in areas such as weather, local customs, culture and society, time changes, food, and language,” Aceves-Losa said.

The phenomenon of cultural shock is characterized by four or five phases, depending on whether the person who is living will return to his country of origin or stay in the United States.

The first phase is called “Honeymoon”, as it is characterized by a state of euphoria in which the individual lives the idealization of the new country that will host him for months.

“When I landed in New York, it seemed like a dream. When a few days passed, I realized that the city was tough. At that time, I used to go to Times Square to remember why I was here”, Cristina Aubach, a Spanish student in New York City, said.

This phase usually lasts relatively short, to make room for the “Hostile” phase, which is the most difficult, since people may have physical symptoms that prevent them from living in normalcy. Some signs of this phenomenon are insomnia or excess sleep, mood swings and vulnerability, irritability, anger, sadness, obsession with cleanliness, feeling of loss of identity and loss of confidence. In this phase, stereotypes and prejudices appear and local people are thought to be indifferent and distant, so students use to miss home. Homesickness characterizes this whole process.

“The first two weeks I slept a lot. I thought it was due to jet-lag, so I bought some pills to stabilize my sleep. In the end, I did some research and I realized that I was experiencing the cultural shock”, Jordi Cerarols, a student at Fordham University in New York from Barcelona (Spain), ​​said.

After overcoming the frustration, comes the “Adjustment” phase, in which the individual struggles to accept the changes and adapt to his new condition in the United States. The perspective changes and the person begins to feel in a good mood and relaxed. There are fewer feelings of loneliness and isolation, and a greater degree of comfort, to the extent that some aspects of the new culture are preferred over the old. Although positive and negative emotions are experienced, the feeling is to want to enjoy every moment lived.

“Every morning when I woke up I felt differently. Sometimes it was like having overcome all the sadness and I felt empowered walking the streets of New York. Another day I missed my family very much”, Claudia Tengg, an international student in New York from Singapore, said.

The fourth stage for someone is the final, as it is the “Biculturalism” phase. What had been considered a new culture is no longer a struggle. The feeling of being a foreigner is a matter of the past and now is like being “at home”. Customs and lifestyles are easy to cope with, even without any effort. There is no characteristic element of the place that affects negatively.

For international students who have to return to their homes, there is a fifth phase, called “Reverse Cultural Shock”. When the student leaves the country that has received him in his exchange program, upon returning home he suffers the hostility cover mentioned above towards his environment. 

“He realizes the differences there are and sometimes he wishes to return to the place where he has been living”, Aceves-Losa said.

To combat cultural shock, students must remember that the sensations they are experiencing are perfectly normal. It is important to keep in touch with family and friends from the country itself, have a healthy diet and maintain contact in the ethnic group to which you belong in the new environment.

In many cases, some students wish to maintain the religious habits of their country. In the United States, it is easy to find groups that are to carry out these activities, even in the campuses’ clubs of the university that international students are attending.