Culture shock
The expected confrontation with the unfamiliar
Cultural adjustment or culture shock is a process that most people go through when they experience a change of environment, leaving the comforts of familiarity to experience the unfamiliar. Everyone goes through a cultural adjustment process when they for example change jobs, move to a new house in a different town/city or moving to a completely different country.
At first you will be excited about the new things you will experience such as the food, weather, cultures and language, however after a short while the differences you are experiencing can become unsettling and you may start to feel homesick. You may begin to wonder if you have made a mistake. All of these feelings and thoughts are perfectly natural and everyone (UK and international students) will be going through this adjustment/culture shock experience to some level and usually it will not last long.
How to help yourself
- Regular exercise is a great way to take your mind off feeling homesick and you will feel excellent afterwards.
- Surround yourself with a few items from your home.
- Keep in touch with home, skype is a great tool for this as you can see your family too.
Get involved with the various sports clubs and societies offered by RUSU and find out more about the RED award.
If you are beginning to feel isolated or unsettled there are a number of services or people at the University you can contact such as the Counselling and Wellbeing service, International Student Adviser, your Personal Tutor or try talking to another student in your flat, on your course or a peer supporter.
An outline of the various stages of culture shock is described in the following leaflet from UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs. The leaflet also contains some really useful advice that may help you to settle more quickly into life in Britain.
Find out more about International students and culture shock on the UKCISA website
