Dealing with culture shock
Posted by Steven Kellow - 15:35 on 28 March 2012
Going abroad is an amazing and exciting experience, especially when you have such an interesting and unique job as an EFL teacher. However, if you are away from home for any length of time you will begin to feel some ‘culture shock’, where you feel homesick and don’t like the unfamiliarity, which was so intriguing at first. If you ever feel like this, don’t worry, it’s natural and happens to everyone when they go away from home. Here’s a few ways of getting over ‘culture shock’.
Embrace your new community
You chose to teach in the country you’re in, so there must have been something that enticed you to go there in the first place. Take some time to visit the main tourist attractions your country has to offer to remind you of what a great place it is. When you do have a great experience, keep a note of it in a diary, so if you ever feel a bit down you can look over it and remember why your new country was so appealing.
Learning a bit of the local language will help quite a bit, and the best way to practice it is to get out and about. This means you can interact with some of the locals, which is one of the main benefits of travelling. Don’t worry about not being fluent in the language, locals will appreciate the extra effort you have gone to. With a bit of the lingo you could participate in local events, which will get you involved in the new culture and occupy your mind to combat homesickness.
Stay in touch with home
Just because you are far away from home doesn’t mean that the people you love back home are out of reach. With the internet, you can easily get in touch with family and friends over Facebook or Skype. Chat to them every so often about how you are getting on, in good times and bad, to keep up your morale and remind you of home. Don’t call home all the time, as it doesn’t help with homesickness; but a call now and again will raise the spirits and help you to embrace your new life. Make sure to keep a family photo, or some sort of memento of home with you to perk you up every now and then.
Some countries have quite large expat communities that you can get involved with, especially if you are in a big city. Here you can meet people from back home that you can share experiences with, and maybe get some tips about dealing with local life. Although it’s pleasant meeting the locals of the area, sometimes it’s comforting to meet people from back home who share a common ground.
Hopefully, your ‘culture shock’ won’t be too severe and won’t last very long, so you are left to enjoy the wonderful experience of being a TEFL teacher.
If you have any travel, job or TEFL enquires, feel free to get in touch with us.
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“I am writing to let you know that I have been here, in Togliatti in Russia, for almost a year now! My visa has just been renewed for another year (annual renewal process) and I have been given a 3 year contract. All this is down to one simple fact - TEFL! After doing my weekend course in Edinburgh and the 50 hour Language and Grammar, I suddenly had opportunities that were closed to me in the past. Now I have so many interesting and exciting memories of my time here. Every day has been an adventure and has certainly kept me on my toes! The Togliatti Chamber of Commerce have invited me to speak at the opening of their new tourist initiative! I helped design the website for one of my students, and next thing I knew I had received an invitation to speak at their prestigious event. ” Colin, currently teaching in Russia
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