Culture Shock Essay Example
Culture Shock Essay
The United States of America is a country in which many people from all over the world come to live together. Unlike Canada, which is a multicultural country, it is a melting pot since each person brings his/her own peculiarity to enrich the culture of this country. But this melting pot process is not always without problems. When people from other countries come to America, they may experience some form of culture shock. Culture shock is a state of bewilderment, anxiety, disorientation, and distress as an individual is suddenly exposed to a social or cultural environment much different from his/her own. (Spradley, James) Culture shock happens frequently for international students and immigrants who come to America. These conflicts of culture appear not only when students come to school and learn new ways of living, but also when they go back home and live with their own families or their own societies. The reason for that is the students are young and easy to change, but the adults are not ready to follow their examples and adapt to the new situation.
Most people who come to America from other countries are not prepared to live here; therefore they may suffer stress caused by culture shock. For instance student teacher relationships in North America are not the same as other countries. Hong Kong students for instance have a high regard for their teachers. In Hong Kong students never call their teacher by their first name, because it's not respectful to the teacher. Also, they hesitate to ask or to answer questions in class because they don't want to lose their face in showing their ignorance in front of the class, and sometimes because their English is not good enough to form a clear question. And if they give the wrong answer it not only humiliates them but also brings shame on their families. Hong Kong students are taught to be modest and not to display their knowledge freely until being
The United States of America is a country in which many people from all over the world come to live together. Unlike Canada, which is a multicultural country, it is a melting pot since each person brings his/her own peculiarity to enrich the culture of this country. But this melting pot process is not always without problems. When people from other countries come to America, they may experience some form of culture shock. Culture shock is a state of bewilderment, anxiety, disorientation, and distress as an individual is suddenly exposed to a social or cultural environment much different from his/her own. (Spradley, James) Culture shock happens frequently for international students and immigrants who come to America. These conflicts of culture appear not only when students come to school and learn new ways of living, but also when they go back home and live with their own families or their own societies. The reason for that is the students are young and easy to change, but the adults are not ready to follow their examples and adapt to the new situation.
Most people who come to America from other countries are not prepared to live here; therefore they may suffer stress caused by culture shock. For instance student teacher relationships in North America are not the same as other countries. Hong Kong students for instance have a high regard for their teachers. In Hong Kong students never call their teacher by their first name, because it's not respectful to the teacher. Also, they hesitate to ask or to answer questions in class because they don't want to lose their face in showing their ignorance in front of the class, and sometimes because their English is not good enough to form a clear question. And if they give the wrong answer it not only humiliates them but also brings shame on their families. Hong Kong students are taught to be modest and not to display their knowledge freely until being