Culture and Religion

Culture and religion warrant a section of their own. They are highly complex and sensitive in nature.

They will also be correlated in this context since religion plays a big part in culture especially if you are going to more conservative locations. Coping with culture shock is something that no one goes through easily. Some may adapt faster than others. Combining it with the difference in religion might cause major stress on your behalf.

Culture

Some people do not really understand the concept of culture. There are many who think that it is the country as a whole that pertains to culture.

Culture is what people make of their country. You call a specific set of ideas "culture" as a whole. It is the people who make their own culture in response to nature. It is culture that moulds the people. Culture plays a huge part in human society that we form not just cultures but different types of subcultures within each other.

There are universal agreements on the predominant characteristic of each nationality. Each time people unify in agreement on a single adjective for a group of people, it makes culture look superficial to many. In truth though, that is not exactly the case.

Culture actually relies on the undercurrent. Values are the ones that form a culture. Ergo, to be able to understand a whole new culture and be able to adapt, you need to analyze the people's values. Analyze the most basic stimulant which impels them to think a certain way.

It now depends on your own set of value whether or not you can fit in easily. People who cannot keep an open mind will always be a hard fit. Sometimes, it is really hard to think that there are a whole slew of other people who do not believe in what you do.

To be able to accept what they do believe takes a lot of understanding and more courage. The latter is because accepting something new is validating that you are different from everybody else. This acceptance is openly admitting isolation that is survived by those who have courage.

Religion

Religion is sometimes intertwined with culture to the point that the two seem to have sprung from the same roots. Religion forms a significant part of people's values that in turn are responsible for creating a culture. You will find that values vary dramatically depending on the country's predominant religious group.

In some Muslim countries, married women are expected to cover their faces while in the outside world. Many Muslims also do not eat pork as a direct result of their religious beliefs.

In India, cows are common fixtures along streets in relation to their holy status in Hinduism. Women's status in certain countries might also be a result of religion. There are countries where women are forced to stay at home after marriage and even before. They may also be deprived of higher education due to the belief that women do not need it.

4 stages of adjustment expatriates encounter:

1. Preliminary Enthusiasm

You cannot help it. You just feel happy or you feel as if you are going for an adventure. It is a challenge you will eagerly face. You may have misgivings at first but you have started to see everything in a positive light. Finally, upon arrival, you marvel at the beauty of your host country. You see how little the people differ from your own people. You savor every minute of your first few days and you revel in the glory of your new home.

2. A Reversal

After a few weeks or depending on your ability to adapt, you find yourself at a quandary. You do not like or what you see or enjoy anymore. People become indifferent to what you perceived them to be.

What used to be beautiful is now too mundane for your liking. You find your new place to be too hot or too cold. You start getting annoyed and irritated at everything and everyone. You begin to feel ill-at-ease and realize that you are different after all and you start to miss your usual routine back home.

3. Withdrawal

You will find yourself avoiding any of the locals after feeling unpleasant with even the most ordinary things. You may tend to withdraw yourself from the outside world. You start missing every little thing in your home. You miss the food, the scenery, and the language among others. It is during these times that you become prone to depression and anger. You should nurture the negative feelings and widen your horizon so you will not get stuck in this phase for the duration of your stay.

4. Adaptation or Permanent Withdrawal

You will be able to adapt to your new environment if you give it a chance and try to do so. Most people are able to fit into their new moulds, given the time to adjust.

Never let your minds get polluted by fellow expats who continue to live in their withdrawal phase. There are those who stay but remain "foreigners" for good. They alienate themselves and treat locals differently. Consorting with these types of people lets their mentalities rub off on you. It is best to find an expat who enjoy living in your host country and guide you along.

Coping to Culture Shock and Culture Change

Culture shock may happen due to a variety of reasons for different people. You would first go through a phase of denial. You will afterwards accept that it is different from what you are used to but you can live and be happy with it.

It is basically the same thing as trying to cope with culture change. You cannot expect yourself to quickly accept things as they come. There will be an interim, albeit its length depends on you. This only means that with perseverance and the ability to keep an open mind, culture shock is not something that could ruin your stay in your host country.