By: Lia Bradley
ELL Instructor at Dickinson High School
Culture shock is defined as the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. Such is the case of 5 foreign exchange students at DHS who have been in the country for just under a month. Having lived in England with my aunt at the age of 9 and having been a foreign exchange student in France at the age of 15, I know this feeling.
I conducted an interview with these students to create a video on culture shock. I’ll take a moment to share with you some of the things they had to say about ways in which they were experiencing culture shock.
Francesca from Italy and Oliva from Spain both said that it has been difficult for them to adjust to the different schedules in which people do things in the US. Olivia said that while people in the US are having lunch at 11:00 a.m., people in Spain are just barely having breakfast. Also, while dinner in the US is at 5:00 p.m., in Spain and Italy, people don’t sit down to eat dinner until 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m.
These two students, along with Clara from Germany, also noted how sports and extracurricular activities are taken so seriously in the US. In Europe, most students join a sport or an activity for the social aspect. In contrast, here, much focus is placed on the competition aspect. Although this often discourages foreign exchange students from remaining in the sport for the whole season, Olivia has enjoyed this attitude of competition, which has motivated them to strive to become a better swimmer.
Maialen from Spain also talked about the loneliness a foreign exchange student can experience and the importance of being a responsible young adult since you’re away from your family and you’re faced with having to be more independent.
Anderson from Brazil talked about how different schools in America are from Brazil. He comes from a small private school, so DHS initially seemed huge for him. Learning the A/B schedule was so difficult for him since, in Brazil, students stay in the same class all day long. It took him a couple of weeks to finally know where and when to be at a certain class.
The food also has been an adjustment for all of them. Although I didn’t hear a lot of complaints about American food, the food here is very different from what they are used to. One thing they miss about back home is that sometimes people here get too busy and grab food on the go instead of sitting down for a family meal around the table.
Although culture shock is unavoidable, it’s part of the adaptation process. All these five students have great personalities and different interests. I know that as the year goes by, they will become more and more adjusted to the US way of life. I’m excited to see how they will flourish and make an impact as they share their cultures and experiences with us.