Evita el choque cultural… (Avoid culture shock)
Hola, Columbia Collegiettes™! Because we are past the formal introductions, I figured it’s time to dive into some of the nuts and bolts of being abroad, particularly how to get over the initial culture shock and how to create your routine.
Once you get through Immigration after a long flight (or flights), your new life begins. Adjusting to this new life has several components, which are all equally important. The first, and probably the biggest hurdle for most, is culture shock.
With my previous experience in Spain, I didn’t have as much difficulty adjusting as others on my program did, but I do remember the initial shock of the radically different meal schedule. Surprisingly, I even came to prefer the big lunch around 2 or 3pm and then dinner after 9pm.
At the beginning, another big issue was cell phone use. I resigned myself to the fact that I had to rely on my iPhone’s WiFi, something I rarely use in NYC because of the available 3G network. In the grand scheme of things, I realized that my anxiety about usage charges was absolutely ridiculous.
The best way to confront culture shock is to dive into the world you’re joining. By not thinking about how different everything was from New York, I was able to rediscover so many of the reasons why I fell in love with Spain the first time.
On top of the culture shock that comes from being in another country is the culture shock from living in a home-stay. I had already lived with a host family during my first trip to Spain and it was a great experience. If you have the option to live in a home-stay on your study abroad program, do it! I know that it is incredibly cliché to say that a home-stay is the best way to become immersed in the culture of your host country, but seriously, tit’s true.
For those of you who don’t know what a home-stay is, it basically means that you live in someone’s house; your host family makes your meals (breakfast and dinner in my case, and then I have lunch at school), does your laundry, and cleans your room. In return, you get to build a relationship with the family and improve your language skills.
It may seem peculiar to live with someone that you don’t know for an extended period of time, but study abroad programs take placement very seriously and many of the host families have hosted foreign students for many years.
Most students on my program also have a roommate in their home-stay, but I chose to live on my own because I figured that I would speak English most of the time if I had a roommate. The types of families are quite diverse – some are couples, some have kids, and some, like mine, are single women.
In terms of home-stay nuggets of advice, one of the things to stress is that you have to be direct about what you like and don’t like. This is especially important with food. I fortunately have liked everything that my Señora makes, but I’ve heard horror stores, so speak up! Also keep in mind that your home-stay is a great place to experiment with trying different foods that you wouldn’t justify paying for on your own.
And finally, just because you’re living abroad doesn’t mean that you have to abandon everything that you love about being in the States. My program has a discounted rate with a gym that is within walking distance of school. The price was great and I often run into people from my program while working out, so there is a great social benefit. My gym has a wide range of classes, in addition to cardio machines and a weight room.
Taking fitness classes in your second language is a great way to become immersed in the language and working out during the semester is something that I personally have to do to keep myself grounded.
¡Hasta la próxima!
Vineyard in Rioja
Churros y chocolate
La Concha