Prepare Yourself For Culture Shock

If you teach English China, you may find yourself suffering from one of the pitfalls of English teaching abroad - Culture Shock. Culture shock is not some theory made up by sociologists. It’s a very real situation, and the adverse side effects can be serious.

Culture Shock 101

Culture shock occurs when you find yourself immersed in a cultural environment that’s different than your own. At first, you are disoriented. Nothing seems to work right, everything is confusing, and you don’t know what’s going on. Pretty soon you’re very, very tired, and often people who suffer from culture shock end up by blaming the country and hating it.

Of course, whenever you find yourself in a foreign country, you are shocked by how different it is. But, this is not what culture shock is. Culture shock is basically a mental condition, including anxiety and depression, and it doesn’t go away overnight.

China is a great country to teach in, but many people find it impossible to live there because of the culture shock they experience. They can never get over the condition, and eventually they start to hate it and count the days before they can go home.

Here are some things you can expect to be very different in China:

Don’t Sit Down! - By modern, western standards, China is a fairly polluted country and the cities are quite dirty. It is common to see people spitting on sidewalks or littering. This is fairly normal.

Standards of cleanliness differ from one country to another. For example, in Japan, anything that has been outside is considered dirty, and people take precautions to make everything that enters the house clean. Differing standards of cleanliness can make a foreign resident uncomfortable and can increase culture shock.

Everything Gets Banned - China is rapidly modernizing and increasing their demand for western goods and services. You may be impressed when you land in China and see towering skyscrapers everywhere.

But, you have to remember that China is a very conservative country. Anything considered politically subversive is banned. Also, lots of western entertainment and fashions have been targets by the government.

Freedom is one of the biggest factors in culture shock. It is really hard to live somewhere where you feel like you have to follow strict new rules. But, this is part of the modern culture of China.

Are We Going To Eat THAT? - Probably the number 1 cause of culture shock is food. If you go abroad to teach English, you should definitely check out what the people eat. Can you handle eating strange and unusual food every day that you are there?

Chinese people eat lots of things that we would never dream of eating. It may be a big turn-off, or it may be an opportunity to try some new things! Much of it depends on how adventurous you are, but keep in mind that you’ll have to get used to the cuisine.

China is a wonderful country to teach English in, and many people come away with very positive experiences. Most find the Chinese to be friendly, and teaching in China to be a great experience. Just keep an eye on your mental state, and try to identify culture shock before it takes over.