Culture Shock

1. When do people experience culture shock?

a) When they meet a foreigner for the first time.

b) When they move to a new place.

c) When they go to live in a foreign country.

2. The first phase of culture shock is known as __________

a) the recovery stage.

b) the honeymoon stage.

c) the rejection stage.

3. How do people usually feel during the first stage of culture shock?

a) lonely and depressed

b) bored and homesick

c) happy and excited

4. How may people feel during the second stage?

a) homesick and afraid

b) interested and amused

c) they have no particular feelings

5. What word could describe the third stage of culture shock?

a) adjustment

b) rejection

c) enthusiasm

6. What feelings do people have during the fourth stage of culture shock?

a) They may feel angry, misunderstood, or even incompetent.

b) They have a feeling of belonging.

c) They are extremely stressed.

7. Why might reverse culture shock be a problem?

a) It only happens to young people.

b) It is extremely stressful.

c) Most people do not expect it.

* If you are not sure how to answer the questions you can read more about Culture Shock using the following link: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~oiss/pdfs/Student%20Life/Cultural%20Adjustment.pdf

Exercise 2. Now listen to Part 11 of the series about culture using the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/webcast/tae_whoonearth_archive.shtml and check your answers.

Exercise 3. Listen again and put the sentences into the right order.

a) You adjust properly and start to appreciate the culture for what it is – you start to understand the values and the norms of that culture and its customs.

b) The first phase is called the honeymoon period which takes from a few weeks to a few months. You’ve got lots of things to look forward to and you tackle all your problems with good humour.

c) The degree to which people experience culture shock depends on how different their culture is from the one that they’ve grown up in, their role in the new culture, whether they have people to talk to, and their personality.

d) Culture shock is a part of learning about another culture - and the more times we experience culture shock the easier it’s going to get for all of us.

e) You begin to realise that you are an outsider and you might begin to idealise your own culture, romanticise it, think about how everything at home is wonderful.

f) You might find some difficulty re-adapting to your own culture. It can be quite a challenge going back home and this can be referred to as re-acculturation or re-entry shock.

g) You integrate with the culture and you make more effort to become part of the community – you make friends and find out about the manners and customs of the particular place that you’re in.

Exercise 4. Listen to five people talking about their experience of culture shock. Match the speaker with the main point they make. There are two extra sentences.