During your stay in the United States, you will live in a culture that is very different from here. During the adjustment period, be prepared to experience large differences in attitudes, standards, expectations and reactions in terms of accommodation, food, leisure, language and more. Remember that you chose to travel abroad to get to know and understand a different culture, because otherwise, you would decide to stay at home during the summer. It will be a period that will remain deeply etched in your memory. Remember, you are responsible for adapting to the new culture of the host country because it will not change because of you.
Culture Shock
Culture shock is often experienced by people who travel and live abroad. Humans are creatures of habit and the process of moving to another country results in the loss of some normal daily activities. Regardless of your degree of tolerance, open-mindedness and readiness for new cultures, changing the environment will result in some degree of frustration. Recognizing the symptoms of culture shock will allow you to manage the situation more effectively. Accept the irritation and ask yourself why some particular aspect of the culture irritates you, but it looks perfectly natural and suits the citizens of the host country. Remember that everything is a matter of habit, so after some time spent in America, you will be able to get used to a different way of life, a different environment, accommodation, food, as well as new things that you will encounter every day while you are there.
Hang out with strangers as much as possible because there are plenty of them there. You will meet people from all over the world, be open-minded and will be grateful in the end for going home with many new insights that you have not had the opportunity to discover before. On these trips, love was born, but also great friendships that last a lifetime. It is definitely the greatest treasure you can take with you when you return home.
Set yourself up as follows, according to challenges and new things you are not familiar with:
- Maintain an attitude of curiosity and a desire to learn.
- Gain a sense of adventure.
- Learn to generously accept „corrections“ and learn from your mistakes.
- Be generous and sincere in showing gratitude.
- Be flexible.
- Maintain a sense of humor, especially about yourself.
- Show an honest and considerate attitude towards others.
- Be cooperative and willing to compromise.
- Enjoy.