Understanding culture Shock to better lessen the impact Maj Jean Boily, CD, RSW Travailleur Social /Social Worker

What is Culture Shock ? Culture shock: is a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not.

5 stages of Culture Shock: 1 st stage - incubation stage: Euphoric feeling – also called the "honeymoon" stage, everything encountered is new and exciting 2 nd stage - person may encounter some difficult times and crises in daily life: May be feelings of discontent, impatience, anger, sadness, and feeling of incompetence; happens when a person is trying to adapt to a new culture that is very different from the culture of origin; transition is a difficult process and takes time to complete there can be strong feelings of dissatisfaction

3 rd stage characterized by gaining some understanding of the new culture -a new feeling of pleasure and sense of humour may be experienced; -may start to feel a certain psychological balance; -may not feel as lost and starts to have a feeling of direction; -individual is more familiar with the environment and wants to belong; -this initiates an evaluation of the old ways versus those of the new;

4 th stage - the person realizes that the new culture has good and bad things to offer - can be one of double integration or triple integration depending on the number of cultures that the person has to process - integration is accompanied by a more solid feeling of belonging - person starts to define him/herself and establish goals for living 5 th stage, "re-entry shock" - occurs when a return to the country of origin is made - Person finds that things are no longer the same

Guard before leaving! Gather as much information as you can about the country; Make a list of numbers and people to contact in case of emergency; Familiarize yourself with your new environment; Plan to do something you've always wanted to do; Have regular and frequent family discussions about your new lifestyle... (explain to your children about culture shock) Establish routines as soon as possible. This structure will bring security and stability when there are so many new things that you need to adapt to.

Stay open-minded. Accept a new culture is one of the main steps to feel at home in the host country. Try new things. Instead of trying to reproduce your usual environment, try new flavors, learn the language, get to places of local cultural Find a hobby. Go where the locals go and take a course! Whatever activity you choose, you grow your social network. Learn the language. Break the language barrier with your baker, the postal worker or fruit and vegetables salers... They generally appreciated the efforts made in the foreign language plus that will give you great personal satisfaction and a sense of being better integrated. Find pleasure in little things. Instead of a focusing on major differences between your country and your host country, try to notice the little details that make your destination unique. Facilitate the transition

Conclusion Living and working in Europe is an ADVENTURE; Each adventure represents positive, negative and unexpected moments; Good knowledge of facts, challenges and issues facilitate the adventure and reduce potential stresses; Good preparation avoids bad surprises and disappointed expectations; Note: If after a reasonable period of time, you and / or members of your family have great difficulty in adjusting to your new environment, seek professional help. A short period of time from a player can save you many unnecessary stress! Have fun and enjoy your tour in Europe, but keep in mind that you are not alone and you can use our services