They warned us about this prior to leaving, but I think culture shock has finally hit me. Culture shock is when cultural differences can be well, sort of shocking. The fact that another culture does something differently than your culture may be frustrating, surprising, or even displeasing. It takes time to adjust to a new culture; culture shock can occur during this adjustment period. It is not to say that the new culture is looked at negatively, but certain aspects may be upsetting or shocking until a person is used to the new culture and accepts that it is different from their own. Even during my short time in CR, I have experienced culture shock.
Walking past the quads on the UCR campus, I guarantee there will be couples laying in the grass. This wouldn't be such a big deal in my culture except that the couples are rather intimate with their public displays of affection. When I first witnessed this, honestly I was a little thrown off. I thought to myself, "This would never happen in my culture. I can't believe they're doing that in public". Culture SHOCK. I had to stop and remind myself that this wasn't my culture and I couldn't expect this new culture to have the same social norms as mine.
Another instance when I have experienced culture shock is when I was trying to get directions to a store. There are no street signs in Costa Rica. Directions are determined by nearby landmarks and other buildings. Today when I was trying to get directions to a store, I was a little frustrated. How was I, the girl with no sense of direction, going to find this store with out any solid point of reference? How do the people living here find anything? Culture SHOCK. I reassured myself that if they can get their way around Costa Rica, then so can I. I just had to be a little more patient and forgiving when I couldn't find what I was looking for on my first try.
I will continue to post about my experiences dealing with culture shock. In my opinion, the greatest value needed to overcome the shock of differences between different cultures is tolerance (and acceptance, too).
A sign at the entrance of a park
The fact that this sign prohibits romantic scenes in the park was a bit of a shock to me. I was surprised that would even be an issue, but this isn't my culture; I need to remember that.
I am sure these are not the most shocking things you will experience during your stint in Costa Rica! Just keep the open minded attitude. Culture shock is part of the learning experience. Love you, Mom!
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