Culture shock

CULTURE SHOCK

Culture is unique to each country. Although globalization has a tendency to narrow gaps between those countries, each country has its own identity and image. For example there is the tea in England, sushi in Japan. The fact is that each country is different and it is these differences that are the reasons of a culture shock. It is then that there can be talk of culture shock: it is then the passage from our culture to another, the passage from novelty to comfort, from unawareness to knowledge. This shock goes through, most of the time, three stages: strolling (flânerie), embracing space and reflexion, the moment when everything comes together, binds and where we notice the differences and where we accept them. Strolling (Flânerie) is the first step towards a culture shock. It is when someone arrives; he is lost and seeks to find his way in an environment that he does not know. To illustrate my point, I will use my trip to Nepal. When I arrived in Kathmandu, the first thing we did was to visit the city, to be carried away by this wind of novelty, of change. I stopped in the middle of the street and watched the world around me. What shocked me first is the level of poverty of these people and the difference of culture especially at the architectural level. The second thing that shocked me was the time people went to bed. As a matter of fact, the streets were deserted at 7pm, our hotel closed at 9pm. And the next day at 5am, the city was busy, swarming with people. I noticed that the windows had no shutters, whereas the sun rises very early, reflecting the fact that these were not necessary and therefore it was customary to get up at this time. Even the breakfast was served from 5am to 8am. Then, I had to embrace the space, the culture, try to assimilate it, to understand it. The first thing I did for this is to try traditional Nepalese food. I tried to taste as many dishes as I could, even though at first I showed a great reluctance to it. For instance, there is the typical plat called chatamari. It's a pizza with chicken and tomatoes and lots of other toppings. At first, I thought it was inedible, who would put chicken on his pizza? But I finally sampled. The second point where I had the most trouble was the driving. There is no traffic code, the cars do not use turn signals, the road are badly dented and this is why it is very dangerous to move in car safely. At first I did not even want to ride a car cause I found it dangerous and then it ended up happening. There is also the fact that most people out of town do not have cars but pushcarts. The hotel offered both and incrementally the tumbrel passed for the best option. It was at this moment in time that I realized that I was adapting to the culture of the country, not completely but partly. And it is here where the reflection begins. I started to love the discrepancies between my culture and theirs. For example, the more I saw the buildings and the temples, the more I appreciate them, the respect of the traditions and the culture began to wow me. It is here where I started writing to my family to explain Nepalese culture. This allowed me to take a step back and to be more comfortable with their culture, to make it an integral part of my way of life, to appreciate the differences and the variety of this culture. Culture shock is therefore a phenomenon proper to everyone but it follows a universal line and, for my taste, this is what makes the beauty of a trip.

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