Culture Shock Teaching Abroad

[Niko]

A Strange Looking Land when Teaching Abroad

Wow! Are you serious? This is so strange! I don't believe it. You're kidding me right?

These are just some of the comments I made when first teaching in China.

I knew I would be in for a culture shock, but it really only hits you when you make the move and start spending the next 6~12+ months of your life in this new country. Yep, being thousands of miles away from home, with strange faces continuously looking at you, can take it's toll after a while.

There are usually 2 types of English teachers I've come across here in China.

1. Teachers who love China
2. Teachers who hate China

I try to keep myself as distant as possible from teachers who continuously criticise China, it's way of life, food, thinking and so forth.

I know China is a strange country in my eyes, but am sure when the Chinese travel to Australia, they would probably think the same of my culture.

Sure the food sometimes is gross, the people loud, the streets dirty, the language way too difficult to learn, no idea of what is happening around you, BUT hey, this is China.

And after all, the world of teaching English abroad, is not only about being in the classroom, but also experiencing life in a new country.

Anthony Jefferson
(English Teacher - China)

Culture shock also works both ways believe it or not. After spending 5 years in Hong Kong teaching, on my return to New Zealand, I experienced culture shock in my own country.

Singapore is always a hustle and bustling place. Lots of things always happening and people everywhere. When I went back to NZ, it was so quiet with hardly anyone on the streets and the shops closing so early. Wasn't used to this.

[Hypiereon]

I experienced reverse culture shock going back to the USA. Life in ChengDu is actually very peaceful for a city of 13 million people. (Just not around 6 o'clock) When I went back to my hometown for a visit, I had the feeling that even though you don't see very many people around, BOY ARE THEY REALLY BUSY!!

Getting back into the groove in the USA once - several years ago, it was then I suddenly remembered my real first taste of culture shock outside the norms of everyone else's story. I was invited out to dinner by a Chinese friend, and food was something I was expecting by way of culture shock. Then my friend invited me to a tea house. I thought, "Cool. Okay, we're going to a tea house. What are we going to do at a tea house?" I thought we were going to some kind of meeting, or parlor where there was something to do other than JUST drink tea.

I was wrong.

I sat down, my friend ordered the tea, the tea came, I drank mine within the first 5 minutes, and then I started to squirm. I had never had to just sit still for more than 10 or 15 minutes without some kind of business meeting to get to, person to see, place to go, a show to be at, T.V. program to watch, book to read, newspaper to peruse, or computer to surf, or SOMETHING to do!! My friend just laid back in his chair and started to close his eyes. He was over in his chair falling asleep!! IN PUBLIC!!! I was wanting to know what time we'd be leaving after ten minutes.

Today, I just join right in, but try that in America . . . maybe you start to understand. The habits of the people you live with do eventually become your own, and when social expectations suddenly change again when you're back home - you're in for that funny feeling of reverse culure shock.

Just try to be as aware of culture shock going back home as you were of it when you first arrived and you should be fine. It was those very feelings though that eventually drove me back to China where life was a little less hectic and hurried, and people had time to sit down and drink a single cup of tea for an hour - and would happily let me do the same.