Culture Shock

So I keep hearing about the horrors of culture shock and the truth is that no matter how close or far you may think you are with the target culture, you will still experience culture shock.

For example, I am from Barbados, a little island in the Caribbean and I think that I'll have more in common with Japanes than the mainstream US, UK and Canada types. For example, I think that we are more conservative when it comes to voicing opinions for example. I think we are also more into the group mentality, but time will tell.

Even though it's called culture shock, it also has some ties with homesickness. So it's a combination of "if one more person bows at me I am gonna slap them" and "I miss my Mommy"!

I've lived away from home for two years already and here are some of my suggestions about dealing with culture shock.

1. Bring your comfort stuff.

You may not be too eager to admit that you sleep with a stuffed bunny in public, but that same stuffed bunny will help you get through the dark "OMG-what the hell am I doing in Japan" nights. For me it's a favourite lounge-at-home/sleep-in T-shirt.

2. Bring things you're used to at home.

For example, you might want to bring up a box of your favourite cereal, or some ingredients that you won't be able to get in Japan to make your favourite food. We Bajans (Barbadians is the proper term) always walk with our own seasonings.

3. Music.

Even if you don't think that you're all that much of a music fan, you may want to get some CD's of some familiar stuff so that when it all starts to get to you, you can turn to something familiar. In my case, my country is associated with a very specific type of music difficult to find outside of the Caribbean. So I'll be bringing my own. On the upside, you don't have to travel with physical CD's if you're bringing a laptop or an ipod, just upload it all.

4. Make Japanese friends

Here I mean people in Japan, whether or not, they are natives of Japan or fellow gaijins (foreigners). They won't replace your friends and family at home, but culture shock feeds on loneliness. So the less lonely you are the better off you'll be. Plus you'll save lots on phonecalls.

5. Find an activity

By the same token, if you find an activity that gets you out of the house and interacting with others, you will spend less time thinking about the fact that you're not at home.

6. Break it down

When you think of it as a whole year it seems really long and it seems like you've got this huge mountain to climb. But a week is not so bad. Try not to count down how much more time you have left until you can go home. It really does nothing but depress and when you spend all your time worrying about time, it moves slower than ever. A friend of mine used to say, "The days take forever, but the weeks fly by." It's kind of like how in December you're like "Wow, can you believe it was just January?"

7. Routine

Establish a routine. It doesn't have to be anythign set in stone, but when you have hours upon hours just lounging around, it's easier to think about the issue at hand. Make appointments with yourself to study your Japanese, watch a favourite show, read a book, listen to music, learn something new about Japan, etc.

8. Reward yourself

Treat yourself when you accomplish milestones. If you go through a day at the office where you suddenly understand most of the Japanese you heard or if you finish your study by your personal deadline or complete all your lesson plans, take yourself out for a drink or buy yourself something new. Even a well-deserved break can serve as a reward. When you concentrate on the positive, it's harder for the negative to creep in.

9. Attitude, attitude, attitude

Try to stay positive. About 10% of our lives is what actually happened and the other 90% is how we feel about it. Don't think of it as 6 more months til I can escape Japan and see my family, think of it as 6 months to improve my Japanese, or turn around X at my school, or really make an impact on the ninansei (2nd years) etc. Always see the glass as half full. Misery is a snowball rolling downhill. There is just no stopping it and before you know it, you're dealing with an avalanche.

10. Communicate

No one can be a substitute for the mom and dad, kids, boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, friends and even acquaintances you leave behind. So as soon as possible get yourself online. Write a blog, download messenger, sign up for Skype. Stay in touch with the people back at home as a support not a crutch.

Well, those are my thoughts on culture shock and how to minimise it. Come August 3rd, I'll be looking back here to make sure I do everything in my power not to succumb to it. Good luck to all of you who are just starting out as well.

One month til orientation! Yatta!