Acclimation to Indian Culture
As soon as I stepped off the airplane, I was blasted with the smell of Indian spices and the sensation of extreme humidity and hot air. Coming from bland ol' Minnesota, this was quite a different world. In other words, I experienced culture shock.
Culture Shock is a term heard often, but many times not quite understood.
Question: What is an example of culture shock?
A) Eating a fresh Indian mango for the first time and jumping for joy
B) Crying tears of frustration from language barriers--asking for directions and getting a smile and a nod in response
C) Not being able to sleep at night due to extreme cold/heat
D) Double taking every time you see a cow hanging out in the middle of the road
E) All of the above
Ding ding ding! If you answered All of the above, you were correct! If you didn't, let's hope this isn't your million dollar question on Jeopardy!
Online Medical Dictionary simply defines culture shock as "the psychological effect of a drastic change in the cultural environment of an individual."
This definition helps to explain what culture shock is, and how you may experience both positive and negative feelings as you try and acclimate to a new culture. This is completely normal. There are many things that can attribute to culture shock, whether it's a new sight, sense, taste, sound, or smell.
This definition helps to explain what culture shock is, and how you may experience both positive and negative feelings as you try and acclimate to a new culture. This is completely normal. There are many things that can attribute to culture shock, whether it's a new sight, sense, taste, sound, or smell.