It is both exciting and stressful to change cultures. It is often difficult to transition from one culture to another. Culture shock is the feeling of anger, frustration, alienation, or anxiety that can result from being placed in a different culture. Many customs and practices of a foreign culture might seem strange or uncomfortable compared to your own. Even for experienced travelers, being in unfamiliar territory can prove difficult. You may feel lost and frustrated. Different people experience culture-shock differently. Some can barely notice it and others can have a hard time adapting to their new surroundings. It can be frustrating to adapt to a culture that is different from the United States’s if your cultural background is very different.
To help you understand my meaning better, I will give you some background information about myself. I grew up as a Kazakh citizen, and the majority of my knowledge about America was gained from watching Hollywood movies. Although Hollywood is a medium for entertainment, it may not accurately portray American life. Although I have been longing to be here, I had no idea that America would shock me.
I was first struck by the American way of being friendly. They are open to making new friends, chatting with strangers, offering a compliment, and inviting them to lunch or birthday parties. Americans enjoy making casual friends. They quickly become close friends and develop trust over time. Americans are quick to make friends and sometimes befriend strangers. They become friends quickly and are close to one another in no time. However, it is easy for them both to be absent from each other’s lives. This aspect was frustrating and confusing to me. My culture believes in friendships and keeping in touch after trust has been established. In Kazakh culture, it is essential to trust and maintain trust. To be able to have a happy relationship with someone, Kazakhs need to believe they can trust each other. It’s why we appear cold and reserved initially. But once we get to know one another, we become very friendly and open-minded people. It was only after I arrived in America that I realized my Kazakh cultural identity as shy and reserved.
American culture also has a different aspect to me than my culture. It is characterized by a high sense of privacy. Americans don’t like having their privacy invaded. Americans are uncomfortable with others standing too close to them and will often move away. America’s greetings to family and friends are a simple gesture of friendship. A quick hug or handshake is followed by a long, seated hug. Americans are proud of their privacy and feel that everyone has the right to it. They don’t like being asked about their weight, age, gender, income, political views, religion, or personal family matters. Kazakhstani people are very close to each other and greet them with a hug. Kazakhs don’t like to share too much privacy and prefer to talk sitting or walking together. They become closer to each other as the conversation progresses. It is considered disrespectful and rude to keep a long distance during conversation in Kazakhstan. It is perfectly acceptable to inquire about your marital status, salary, and age in Kazakhstan. It was always my preference to keep my private life private. I found it easy to adapt to American culture by sharing details with only close friends.
Unbelievably, I was also struck by the informality of Americans. Informality seems to be a unique American value. This was something that surprised me in a good way. Kazakhstan is a country where elders, teachers and superiors are called by their first names. In Kazakhstan, however, this was not the norm. However, Americans aren’t ashamed of their informality. It is a sign that someone is friendly or accepting of you and not an attempt to make you feel less important. Informality is also reflected in how people dress and interact with one another. Americans prefer to be casually dressed than people in my country. This is because Americans believe in equality. If we all have the same social status, we can act informally in any situation.
Learning about the culture of another country is part of living abroad. It might be tempting to compare your values with the customs and values of another culture. It is possible to be more open-minded by learning how to navigate other cultures. It helps us understand and shape our cultural identities, as well as teaches about ourselves.
