Culture Shock

Everyone experiences a different degree and tpye of culture shock. For me, it was a sense that the world was moving really quickly and I wasn't quite a part of it.

Definition of culture shock:

"The loss of emotional equilibrium that a person suffers when he moves from a familiar environment where he has learned to function easily and successfully to one where he has not" (Arthur Gordon, "How to Cope with Culture Shock")

Studies have shown that culture shock has a general trend:
1. Preliminary stage
2. Initial euphoria
3. Irritability
4. Gradual adjustment
5. Adaptation and biculturalism
6. Re-entry phase

For me, there was really no way to speed the process along. I felt completely comfortable in Chile after a few weeks, but some people go through the stages a lot more slowly. It helps to talk to your friends and parents from home and know that they will be there when you get back.