03 juillet 2019

Adapting To Living In A New Culture

By Joyce Bell


Adjusting to a new way of life in another country is not easy. There is a lot that you have to adjust to, such as the language, the way you need to act both in the business sense as well as on a day to day basis. What may seem acceptable to you, may be rude to everyone else. Often, you will learn as you go along. When you are living in a new culture you should have a good attitude, with a positive mindset and this is going to help you go forward.

It is not something that you will get used to overnight. Usually it takes between six and twelve months. One needs to be patient with themselves. However, it also means that you have to make the effort and work on the various phases. By sitting at home, you are not going to adjust. As you begin to learn the language, put this into action, get out and take part in activities and explore, you will begin to adjust.

Instead of criticizing a person, look at the individual with an open mind once again. Ask them if you are baffled. For example, there are Asians who tend to slurp their soup. To a Westerner, this is plain rude. However, the answer to this is that they are appreciating it. On most occasions, they won't be offended if you ask them why they do this.

It is a good idea that they receive some guidance beforehand. Parents needs to pay attention to their kids as they settle in to the new surroundings. It is important to talk to communicate with them, giving them things to do. At the same time, they should be given activities so that they are distracted and not completed focused on what lies ahead.

People find that they have to learn about driving on the other side of the road. They need to learn about public transport. Of course, it is your attitude that makes the difference. If you are negative about everything, then it is going to be more difficult to adjust. People may say that it is wrong to drive on the opposite side of the road.

Students like this need help with adjustment. They need to realize that there are different cultures which exist. The American culture is very different to that of the Asian, for example. There are less customs and traditions. They need to be open minded and avoid labeling people according to the way that they have been brought up.

It is important to respect everyone, no matter what their beliefs are. Adjustment will begin to develop to the new environment once they start to accept this. However, it doesn't mean that they have to change their values. Once they begin to observe and are more comfortable with culture, they will become less stressed and anxious.

Judging other people is not something that you can easily do, because they can do the same to you. You are a guest of their country and you need to remember that. It is easy to think that people are not normal in the way in which they do things. Basically, there is no one way of doing things.




About the Author: