Culture Shocking: Are you ready?

thought I would post some tips that I.N. Network suggests for team members
There will be a quiz Saturday afternoon January 16th

Traveling Outside Your Comfort Zone

You probably packed your favorite remedies for headaches, cuts, bug bites and that pink medicine for when you’re “intestinally challenged.” But what did you pack for culture shock? What is culture shock anyway? To help understand it, let’s imagine this scenario: When you arrive at your site, the warm weather feels great, the village seems quaint and friendly, and your hosts are engaging and responsive. But, after a few days you feel your attitude shift. The honeymoon is over. Now the heat is stifling, the village is closing in on you, and your hosts won’t give you a minute to yourself. Is that culture shock? In a definition, culture shock is the disorientation that results from unfamiliar surroundings and unmet expectations.

So, yes, culture shock has begun. Nothing is predictable, and daily living has an uncomfortable feeling. You find yourself critical and complaining...and disappointed for even feeling this way. You may even feel like going home. Just remember that these are all very normal feelings for anyone traveling outside his or her own culture. And, now that your awareness of this phenomenon is heightened, you will want to be especially careful of having a judgmental attitude as it’s one of the first things to creep in.

When things are different from one’s own customs, values, and behaviors, they are... just wrong or intolerable, or at the least, just plain weird. It’s even true at home. When someone does something differently than you do, it’s common to think that you do it the right way and they do it the wrong way. Experts say that people from every culture around the world think their way is the right way. This is called ethnocentricity. It’s very important to understand that the social behaviors of another culture are not necessarily wrong; they are just different from yours. They can be appreciated and enjoyed.

You may need to remind yourself of this phrase, “IT’S NOT WRONG; IT’S JUST DIFFERENT.”