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Thanks for visiting my blog! My name is Nova Walsh and I'm a freelance writer. This blog is about the stories I uncover, food I love, places I travel, and my life in Austin, Texas.

Culture Shock

"Culture shock is the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, uncertainty, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown culture such as one may encounter in a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not." - Wikipedia


Culture shock is a funny thing.  It hits out of nowhere.  Little things set it off.  It isn't a constant state at all.  I've decided it's much like scuba diving for me.  Your fine, your having a great time, everything is awesome and beautiful, then all of a sudden out of nowhere you realize how much water is on top of you and you have this horrible sensation that you can't breathe.  All you want to do is rip your regulator out of your mouth and get some air.  But that would mean certain death  because your regulator is the only thing capable of giving you air.


Culture shock has been a lot like that for me - you walk around absorbed in how cool everything is, all these new sights and sounds and tastes, everything is amazing.  And then all of a sudden out of nowhere you feel like you can't breathe.  All you want is five minutes of being back home, five minutes to be out of the smog, to get away from the scooters and the people and the Chinese writing everywhere.


But you just can't have that.  It isn't possible.  Much like you can't have a breath of fresh air 60 ft below the surface of the water.

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3 comments

  1. Unknown on May 21, 2010 at 6:56 PM

    Hang in there Nova!!! I KNOW EXACTLY how you are feeling! It happened to me on day 10 there. I woke up one morning and I couldn't breathe! I could stand the smells, I couldn't stand the humidity, the people, the sites, the filth - ugh! I was freaking out! What happened? - why was I feeling like this? I had this strong urge to eat something that I recognized - so we went to this "americanized" restaurant and I ordered a hamburger...lol ya - so didn't taste like a hamburger - I think they put squid on it! HA OMG - I was sooooo embarrassed - I just started crying right there in the restaurant - I couldn't stop myself - and here I was newly married, with HIS family, trying to make some sort of impression - NOT! So later that day Nova - this sounds pathetic, but they took me to McDonalds. Did you know it tastes EXACTLY like the ones in the USA?? haha Anyhow, I had me a Big Mac, fries and a coke - and voila!! My body relaxed immediately! It was the weirdest thing! All I can say is that when my body tasted something "familiar", it made it quite happy! I was there for another 10 days - never had McDonalds again - but never experienced the culture shock again either. SO, the moral of the story Nova? GO TO MCDONALDS!!!!! :) Luv ya girlie!! and luv ur blogs!

     
  2. Nikki on May 21, 2010 at 7:33 PM

    I am at home today Nova and after reading your blog I feel so bad for you, wish I could be there and give you a big hug -- a big Mommy hug. I like what Mercy said too. Just hang in there. Remember, you have loved ones who think about you all the time, and also pray for you. Love you so much and I keep remembering our fun time together which went by so fast, so this too shall pass! Love you, Mom

     
  3. Nova Walsh on May 22, 2010 at 7:04 PM

    @Mercy - thanks so much! I know what you mean. For me the culture shock hasn't been constant. It usually comes at the end of a long day, when we're hungry and can't find a place to eat that has an English menu, when we've been walking around in the hot humidity and are drenched in our own sweat, when it all just gets to you - it gets overwhelming for sure. We did TGI Fridays the other day. It helped for sure! I'm doing pretty well though. It's just little bits of time when I feel like I can't breathe :) Thanks for your story and suggestion! I'm sure I'll be at McDonalds soon enough :) Luv you too! Glad you're enjoying the blogs!

    @mom - I love you! Don't worry about me. I'm really fine. I really do love it here for the most part. I'll get used to it quickly. It's just the combination of jet-lag and newness and missing everyone (and every puppy) back home. Every now and then I just miss home a lot. :)

     


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Nova Walsh
Nova is a chef, author, and traveler, who is on a mission to find adventure, friends, and the secrets to a happy life.
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