Types of Culture Shock

• Expatriate culture shock is when an expatriate can not adjust to foreign cultures which can lead to failures in foreign assignments or the process of coming to understand and adapt to differences in culture manifest through daily interaction. The differences in behaviour combined with the stress of adapting to a new daily routine leads to a dislike and criticism of the host culture. There are some symptoms of culture shock, such as homesickness and boredom.

• Return culture shock is when the expatriate can not transfer from one culture to another after they return, which results in loss of self-esteem, self-confidence, and prestige among their peers. In addition, return culture shock is what we experience when we return home and have to readjust to our own country. This is a difficult process and is usually unanticipated. For example, students or expatriates who live abroad for a significant period of time are having difficulties re-adjusting, they might find it very stressful.

• Host national culture shock is when the presence of foreigners in the workplace is considered disruptive by the domestic staff. Domestic staff considers the expatriates as threat. They also feel many symptoms of culture shock, such as anxiety, fear, depression, ineptitude and fatigue. Their stereotype and ethnocentrism become prejudice resulting in mistrust, hostility, and even hatred. They are afraid that the expatriate would be paid a lot higher than the natives and win recognition and promotion.

To avoid expatriate culture shock we must begin with appropriate anticipatory in the form of screening and training. Adequate follow through in the form of direct (organization-sponsored) and indirect (organization-encouraged) are needed. Furthermore, companies should train expatriates and their families to adjust a new culture, because poor adjustment by expatriate’s spouse is the key reason why expatriate return early from their assignment.

To avoid host national culture shock, companies should motivate domestic staff to cooperate with expatriates by anticipating domestic staff’s needs and taking account of their feeling.
These are some suggestions to managing host national culture shock:

1. Communicate the arrival of foreign staff early and clearly. It means that domestic staff should be well informed about the newcomers.
   
2. Present a congenial image of the foreign staff by providing some information. So the domestic staff would know about the newcomer’s background, family and interest.
   
3. Communicate company objectives regarding expatriates presence clearly. So the domestic staff would not feel that foreigners have been put in pace to do the job domestic staff could not.
   
4. Set up a structure to handle communication between domestic staff and newcomer. Company should provide an intercultural mediators, he/she may be an outside consultant or a company employee.
   
5. Present the positive impacts of working with foreigners. This could be in the form of training.
   
6. Develop domestic staff’s cultural awareness. Company must train the domestic staff about cultural differences which can create barriers to communication.
   
7. Train staff to develop their verbal communication with expatriates. Domestic staff should not only learn to use a foreign language better, they should learn to help foreigners improve their language learning.
   
8. Train staff to develop their nonverbal communication with expatriates. For example, domestic staff should learn about gestures and contextual, including messages implicit in silent, possession and roles.
   
9. Involve host nationals actively in a specific programme to initiate foreigners. For example, domestic staff can prepare information about living in the area.
   
10. Collect feedback in a systematic manner. This can be done by using a questionnaire which can be distributed to both foreign and domestic personnel.
    
11. Reward domestic staff for their co-operation, such as job promotion, a dinner, or even a short trip to the expatriate employee’s country.
    
12. Take employee suggestions into account. Listen to domestic staff’s complaints.

(Gouttefarde, 1992).

In my opinion, it is quite difficult to consistently avoid culture shock. An individual may avoid the culture shock if he/she posses enough knowledge and cross cultural skills. However, he/she may enter the emptiness phase, if he/she has enough awareness. He/she would not be long in that phase. If he/she already in the conforming phase, it means that he/she starts making adaptation and starts to function. So it is clear that awareness is the most important skill in order to avoid culture shock.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is natural, stage wise reaction (physical and emotional) to new socio-environmental realities and patterns. Culture shock often involves disconfirmed expectancies. There are four phases: the first one is “Honeymoon”, the second one is “Emptiness”, the third one is “conform”, and the last one is “Assimilation”.

Coping strategies can help people to deal with culture shock. There are some coping tools used in developing an overall adjustment strategy:

1. Study aspects of the culture before you arrive at this country. For example, study language skills, history, cultural dimensions.
2. Pay attention to family preparation and adjustment. We have to educate our family.
3. Make a goal which is realistic and be patient.
4. Avoid continual patterns of anger when disconfirmed expectancies arose.
5. Although sometimes you feel sad, frustrated or upset, keep a sense of humour. At least you can laugh at yourself when you make a mistake.
6. Do not become overly isolated. Develop hobbies and interact with other friends.
7. If possible use a “cultural informant” (someone in the host culture to talk openly). This is the easiest strategy.
8. Prevent yourself from being addicted to alcohol or narcotic consumption.
9. Flexibility, choose your “battles” very carefully and avoid unnecessary battles.
10. Do not constantly complain about the difference between the host culture and your own one. They will never be the same.
11. Expect “re-entry” or return culture shock.
12. Attempt to find culture “safe zones” where things are more relaxed and familiar. Use these but do not permanently rely on it.


Is culture shock a bad thing?

It depends, in some way it is quite natural for people to have culture shock when they come to a new environment for the first time. However, it could be harmful if he/she continuously feels culture shock. Because it will has negative effect on his/her daily study and work. Lack of awareness can lead to prolonged “emptiness” phase. We have to remember that local culture could never be the same as our own culture. Therefore it is useless to always complain about the differences between the two cultures. The point is that we should re-establish our identity in the new culture.

Let's talk about fables...

A fable is an interesting short story intended to impart a philosophy of life or to tell a moral lesson. Around the sixth century B.C. in India, a Sanskrit version of Panchatantra was believed to be the earliest fables in our planet.

Bla bla bla….

I know nothing about it, LOL..

My friend once told me about a fable - guess it’s - from China. I tried to remember it but not quite clear in terms of names. Hmm, I can work on it, just made up some names.. ^^


THE ART OF STEALING

Nino was a wealthy man in Sukoharjo (It’s not even in China dude!!), and Deni was a poor man in Padang (Hey dude, another mistake). Deni often visited Nino to learn how to get rich.

Nino said to him, “I’m well-versed at the art of stealing. When I started stealing, I became self-sufficient in the first year. I grew richer in the second year, and I began to live in luxury in the third year. Since then, I’ve been actively involved in charitable deeds and alms-giving, and my business has now expanded to various parts of this country.”

On hearing this, Deni was very excited. However, he only knew one could get rich by stealing, but he wasn’t bothered to listen to the secret behind the successful business of Nino. Deni was anxious to get rich. After returning home, he started to sneak into people’s yards and break into houses. He stole virtually everything he could see or feel. Before long, the loot was retrieved and Deni was convicted. Even his own property was confiscated.

Deni went to see Nino to vent his anger on him. Nino asked, “How did you actually steal?” So Deni related his experiences in detail.

After listening to Deni’s story, Nino felt sorry for him and said, “My goodness! You misunderstood what I meant by ‘the art of stealing’. Let me put it this way. I learned that there are changes of seasons in the heaven and yields of nature on the earth. That’s what I steal, the best available elements provided by heaven and earth. I steal sunlight and raindrops because they help my crops healthier. I steal the soil and the wood so that my house would look prettier and feel more comfortable. When I’m on the ground, I steal birds and the beasts. When I’m in the water, I steal fish and other aquatic animals, all these are natural products. Do they belong to me in the first place? I asked for them from Mother Nature, and such an act of stealing is not a crime. But the jewels, precious stones, antiques, grain, drapery, money and other goods that you stole, do you think that those are the gifts of God? You stole the belongings of people! So who else is to be blamed? You moron!!!”

For inspiration...

Yeah yeah, I'm bored

a made up story would do just fine

So....

Here we go
(Warning: If you get offended by this, screw you!! hahahaha)


Ken frequented the small bar near China town most every day. The lunchtime crowd would gather around, order beers and hamburgers, and engage in lively, albeit sometimes rude, conversation. They were a motley bunch. The language was rough, and their appearances followed suit. Ken was among the most vocal and often the most obnoxious of the group.

The bartenders hated to see him come. At least the other guys were pleasant and polite to the bartenders and waitresses. Not Ken!!. He had a way about him that irked the girls behind the bar to their very cores.

"He thinks he's so much better than the rest of them," they often remarked.

"See how he dresses?" one said. "He even dresses better than the others to show that he has a higher position at Chinese community."

It was true. Ken's arrogance had won him few friends. No one knew much about him aside from his job and his lunchtime whereabouts. Most of the other guys had been in and out of the bar for years. The girls working there knew their wives' names, their kids' names, and the latest gossip in their lives. But not Ken's. No one knew much about him at all.

Another standout regular at the pub was Hendra a.k.a Paktua. Homeless since his early twenties and suffering from psychotic ailments, Paktua never took his medication, preferring instead to spend his monthly social security check on booze. He slept under an old railroad bridge not far from the bar.

When times got tough – typically just days before his next check would arrive at his mother’s home – Paktua would often wander into the bar and ask for something to eat. That wasn’t all that unusual. The homeless and the transients who were down on their luck often found their way to the bar, where they knew the waitresses would offer them a plate of eggs and toast or a bowl of soup and some bread.

Paktua, however, posed an additional problem. His hygiene was poor. It was downright disgusting. His hair was filthy and matted and most certainly infested with lice. He smelled. He was not the sort of person that paying customers would want to observe as they had their drinks or their meals.

“Come on back here, Paktua,” Tania, the head of bartender usually said, leading him to a small table off to one side of the bar. This is where the help sat to have their coffee or count up their day’s tips. Out of view of most of the customers, it was the best place the girls could find to seat Paktua when he came in cold and hungry.

“Thank you, Tania,” he always answered, his voice feeble and childlike. Paktua kept his head down as he ate, seldom making eye contact with any of the patrons. When he left, one of the girls would thoroughly disinfect the table and chair where he’d had his meal. The dishes would immediately be run through the dishwasher on the special sanitation cycle.

One chilly June day, the head bartender saw Paktua coming, ambling down the sidewalk toward the bar. It was a particularly slow day – a perfect day to serve Paktua a meal without disturbing the customers. There was just one problem. the only patron seated at the bar that day was Ken.

Tania rolled her eyes, knowing that Ken would undoubtedly make rude comments about Paktua. She hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t make these comments to Paktua. She filled Ken’s mug with beer, then headed to the kitchen to place an order for Paktua.

“Paktua’s coming, Rury,” she told the cook. “Have you got any soup left?”. Rury nodded and busied herself preparing a large bowl of hot soup, some rolls, and a small salad.

When Paktua wandered into the bar, Tania noticed that he was limping.

“What did you do to your foot, Paktua?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “It hurts.”

Tania led him to the usual table and brought his food. She kept a nervous eye on Ken and hoped that by filling his mug she’d keep him quiet.

Her hopes were shattered just a minute into Paktua’s meal.

“Hi, young fella,” Ken greeted Paktua.

Tania sucked in her breath, ready to take a shot at the man who would most certainly insult this unfortunate.

“Mind if I join you?” Ken asked him.

“No,” Paktua answered softly.

“What happened to your foot?” he asked.

“I dunno. It’s both feet. They hurt,” Paktua answered.

“How long has it been since you’ve had a bath or a shower?” Ken asked him.

Oh, no. Tania stood perched like a cat ready to pounce, ready for that good-for- nothing Ken to say something that insult Paktua. Ken had probably never gone without a meal or a hot shower one day in his life. How dare he suggest that this poor homeless man was any less of a human being because he had?

“Tania, I’ll be right back,” Ken said, laying a ten dollar bill on the bar next to his mug. “Don’t hurry,” she muttered under her breath, as she took a fresh pot of coffee to Paktua’s table.

Ken wasn’t gone fifteen minutes. Returning to the bar, Tania noticed he carried a paper bag from the store a few doors down.

“Fill ‘er up, Tania,” he said, nodding toward his mug on the bar. “And keep your customers down at that end when they come in.”

The nerve! Who did this guy think he was? He couldn’t tell her where to seat her customers!

What she observed next, however, floored her. Ken went to the kitchen and asked Rury for a large pot. Taking it to the restroom, he emerged with it filled with hot soapy water. Pulling his items from the bag, he then set a bar of soap, a washcloth, some ointment, bandages, and clean socks on Paktua’s table.

“Let’s get those old boots off,” he said to Paktua. He spoke in the sweetest, most gentle voice Tania had ever heard him use.

Paktua complied.

Ken crumbled up the filthy socks – riddled with holes – and stuffed them into the bag from the store.

Tears formed in Tania’s eyes as she watched what happened next.

Delicately, Ken took one of Paktua’s feet in his hands. He dipped the washcloth in the pot of water, lathered it with the fresh bar of soap, and began to tenderly wash Paktua’s foot. Patting it dry with paper towels from the restroom, he proceeded to wash Paktua’s other foot in the same manner.

When both feet were clean and dry, Ken applied ointment and bandages to the swollen, open sores. He then slipped the soft, clean white socks over Paktua’s newly washed and mended feet.

“There,” he said to Paktua. “That should feel much better.”

“It does,” Paktua said humbly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Word spread quickly of what Ken had done for Paktua. Other employees and bar patrons wondered if Tania was making up the story, but when they saw her change in attitude toward the surly customer, they knew she told the truth.

Within weeks they knew more about Ken. He was divorced. He had a son he saw every few weeks and an ex-wife with whom he’d developed a decent friendship. He lived in a rooming house during the week while he worked at the shipyard.

In his hometown he was an imam in his mosque. This struck the girls at the bar as odd; they fully expected an imam not to drink alcohol.

Far more than Paktua’s feet were transformed on that chilly June day. The hearts of several hardened bartenders and waitresses also began softening, too. After that day they didn’t judge quite so quickly and so harshly. For in Ken, they had discovered Moslemlike qualities in someone they had judged to be arrogant and callous, and not a disciple of compassion. They watched him minister to the poor and the sick. They saw all this while they filled his mug with beer and served free hot meals to the least among them.

At Last...

Yohooo...