The Culture Shock I experienced moving from the Island of Guam to the city of SanDiego.
My life has changed drastically in the last three years. Growing up on the tropical island of Guam, then moving to the city of San Diego at the age of 19. In this essay I plan to explain the differences in culture, food and the day to day living. I was born and raised on Guam. My grandparents were in the military and stationed on Guam many years ago. My parents loved the island and decided to call it home. Guam is a very small island approximately 30 miles long and 40 miles wide. It would take about an hour and a half to drive from one end of the island to the other. The population is somewhere between 150,000 to 200,000. The weather is beautiful all year long. The temperature has never been below 75 degrees. The native people of the island are Chamorro and speak their own language. The Chamorro language is similar to Spanish due to the Spanish conquest. My sister and I were sort of an outcast we did not look like everyone else. We were usually the only kids in school with blonde hair and blue eyes. We were the minority. We adapted to the food and culture of the island very quickly.
On May 22, 2000 I decided to move to California. Not sure exactly what I was going to do, I packed my bags and left. Arriving in California was overwhelming and a bit shocking. I had never seen so many people in my life, and for once I was not a minority. Driving in the states was difficult at first. On the island we have no Freeways, and at the .
most roads consist of two lanes. The highest speed limit on Guam is 40mph. Here in California driving 40 mph is Un-heard of. California was new and exciting for me. Huge Malls, Amusement Parks, and all the different ethnicities were not common on Guam. Although there was so much to see and do I began to miss home. Not knowing anyone out here and just missing the relaxed lifestyle of the Island began to take a toll on me.
That is where I think that the "Culture Shock" for these people begins. ... Different forms of Culture Shock include: Cognitive Fatigue, Role Shock, and Personal Shock according to Winkleman. ... The list of elements that can lead a person to culture shock is endless. ... Culture Shock can happen at anytime in a variety of forms. ... For some, culture shock has never be...
Oberg (1960) was the first person to use the term "culture shock" referring to the experience of living or visiting a new culture and facing unfamiliarity. ... Moreover, some common symptoms of culture shock consist of anxiety, specifically a "free-floating" anxiety. ... The extent of culture shock has been observed to be associated with the amount of difference between the visitor's culture and the culture of the country they are visiting or working in. ... According to Furnham and Bochner (1986), "culture shock should be seen as, and calculated by, negative life events, such that the mo...
Oberg (1960) was the first person to use the term "culture shock" referring to the experience of living or visiting a new culture and facing unfamiliarity. ... Moreover, some common symptoms of culture shock consist of anxiety, specifically a "free-floating" anxiety. ... The extent of culture shock has been observed to be associated with the amount of difference between the visitor's culture and the culture of the country they are visiting or working in. ... According to Furnham and Bochner (1986), "culture shock should be seen as, and calculated by, negative life events, such that the m...
A SHOCKED CULTURE When speaking of the term "culture shock" immediately I identify with being in a foreign country for the first time. This is true but it is not the only exception of culture shock, many encounters can lead to culture shock. ... According to Kalervo Oberg, who is credited for finding the term "culture shock", there are four stages of this phenomenon. ... It is where the "shock" portion of the term comes to play. ... The recovery stage is that point when the initial shock starts to wear off. ...
Culture Shock In the article "Overcoming Culture Shock", Erick Liljenstope comments not only on the concept of "Tico Time" which refers to the way we Costa Ricans relate to time, but also on our perception of space. ... This difference and the shock it produces on visitors and perhaps foreigners in general, makes Liljenstope reflect on the way they (foreigner) can and should react and concludes that the best one is to try to understand why it is that we Costa Ricans behave as we do, regarding time and even space without trying to degrade or change our way of handling things. As a matter ...
Culture Shock The following is an essay on an interview I conducted with a friend about culture shock, it is for the most part in her own words. I recorded the interview and then put her words to paper, some of the wording referring to culture shock and the different things such as ethnocentrism are my own words: My trip to Europe was an eye opening experience. ... I had never experienced culture shock before, or for that matter ever really understood it. ... In each country I experienced a different variety of culture. ... The ability to carry on a culture relies on the abil...
The Indonesian culture originated from the farming activities of the indigenous people. ... The Indonesian culture has a great variety due to the fact that Indonesia is a very vast country. ... Another way to analyze their culture is through their religion which is called "Sibulungan". ... Culture Shock is a form of anxiety created from the loss of the commonly perceived and understood signs and symbols in a different culture. People who experience culture shock usually defend themselves through depression, repression, rejection, regression, digestion and reclusion. ...
Well I know I sure am.... but after reading State of Shock, my opinion of normal lacklustre skool texts" has somewhat changed. ... Racism, violence, sexual abuse, discrimination and the undermining theme of institutionisation all interact to create the powerful production "State of Shock". ... State of Shock is a play not to be missed. ... The foundation of this text is based upon the consequences of formidable years of ongoing institutionalisation that has depreciated the traditions of the aboriginal culture. The volatile Eddie, basis his heartfelt violence and antagonism of the degra...
First, foreign visitor should consider values as the most important part of the culture in my country. ... Simply talking for foreigners to adjust easily with Yemen's culture, they should follow a basic skill for the communication style. Concept of times differs from a person to another depending on the culture they live in. Many people in different cultures say that time is money. ... In brief, many people face a cultural shock when visiting another country having different cultural patterns. ...