Write a 500 words on your first two weeks at Bucknell in terms of intercultural communication and culture shock.
- Which barriers did you meet?
- Which stage of culture shock are you at?
- Have you experienced this kind of culture shock before?
- If so, how does this one compare?
How might this culture shock be mitigated by both you and your new neighbors having learned some of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions?
Post this under category “Assignment Two”
During my first two weeks at Bucknell, I felt that I was more at ease with the culture than I had anticipated. Certain things were very different from the norm I was accustomed to. I had more free time, no one to tell me what to do, and a completely new home for the next few years. I was no longer surrounded by the same students I had grown up with since elementary school and I only communicated with my parents through phone calls and text messages. Upon arrival I was definitely in that “honeymoon” stage of culture shock. I was an outsider in a completely new environment, a place that I chose to become a part of. For me, however, I did not find this to be a disorientation, but I welcomed all the change. I did not find myself overwhelmed like the next stage of culture shock, but embraced the change as a new beginning. For me, nothing seemed stressful when it came to learning this “culture.” Every single freshman had to make the same adjustments as I. We were all just as nervous to be there and hopefully, equally excited. I saw college as a new challenge, a new place to thrive. While I can currently see both the good and bad of my new home, I am definitely comfortable with it. I may miss my dad’s food, but I am more than happy I can walk to the cafeteria at any given time. I believe that I have made my way to biculturality, the very last stage of culture shock. I am comfortable with my new culture and environment. I do not ache to go home every weekend, but I still love my home in Connecticut.
Normally, on a vacation or just being away from home for several nights, I will get homesick and find myself becoming irritable and hostile to the environment. In certain cases of culture shock, I could not wait to get back home and it was a relief when I did. It was not because I was a “home body,” but I did enjoy the comforts and routines I was used to. People become very accustomed to their everyday cultures and adjustments to new places can be rough over time. However, I have found my experience at Bucknell has been much different than any other situation where I have been away from home. I did not find myself going through each of the stages of culture shock, like I have in past experiences. Instead, the adjustment was one that I made with ease. Although, the culture is different than one I grew up with, it is one that I enjoy and wanted to acclimate myself with. Learning Hofstede’s cultural dimensions definitely shows me that culture shock is a normal thing, and the five stages any of us might experience are completely natural. It is reassuring to know that you are not alone in any new experience, and being surrounded by peers that have the same feelings as I do is very reassuring. For me, knowing that I have reached the final level of culture shock is also mitigated, and I do not feel like I will hate my environment or become homesick any time soon.