Brandon College San Francisco, Intensive English Program, established 1938

Culture Shock

by Luca, Italy
Culture shock can be compared to an iceberg. The different stages of culture shock are like the different parts of an iceberg. The top of an iceberg can be related to the emotional impact that a new culture has on anyone who is from a foreign country. Everyone notices the top of an iceberg as well as realizes the effects of a new culture on his/her behavior; but what is really interesting is that no one realizes the effects of culture shock on his/her mind and soul or knows how deep the bottom part of an iceberg is.
Before going to a new country, everyone is a little scared of leaving his personal affects and discovering something that he/she doesn't know. If we add to this feeling the fact that most of us arrive in the States without speaking or understanding English very well, it is easily understandable why the first week abroad is often traumatic.
At this time, the people you meet play a very important role in your getting close to and comfortable to a new culture. That's why the teachers, your classmates, and school in general assume a fundamental role. When I first arrived in San Francisco, I was so scared and excited by the idea of being far away from my native country that I couldn't speak English and I had a lot of problems getting to my residence. I remember that the trip from the airport to my hotel seemed like a movie to me. Everything around me was so different from my country: the cars were very strange, the landscape was the opposite of that of Europe, and the people were talking with a funny, incomprehensible accent. During the first week, you don't normally feel homesick because you are too busy organizing your new life and meeting people. But, at this time, you will probably make a lot of mistakes. I remember that I was so anxious to find a permanent place to sleep that I paid two months rent for a very ugly residence. I still regret that time of my stay in Berkeley. Sometimes, you don't like to book everything from your country because you prefer to check it out personally and find the best place that fits your needs, but I think that it is better to make all the arrangements from home. There are too many things to think about when you live in a new environment and the place where you live is so fundamental.

Another aspect of culture shock that I want to point out is the reaction that you might have in seeing people sleeping on the street and asking you for money every day. In most countries, this is not allowed and it could be strange for some of you. I personally grew up in quite a dangerous city where it is part of daily life. What I noticed that was very different from my culture was the way teachers dressed during class. In Europe, most of them used to teach dressed up and the relationship between students and teachers is very formal. Another thing that I noticed during my first month in the States was that everyone eats all day long. When you walk in the street and look inside some restaurants, you can find people eating all the time. In Europe, this is unusual. In fact, we eat at specific times and we only eat three meals a day. In the States, you will see people having dinner at 6pm, when we are usually still working. I think that if you plan to stay in the States for a long time, there are two difficult times when you will feel very homesick.
The first one occurs at the end of your third month,when you have already gotten used to your new life and you start comparing your new life with the one you left in your country. If you get through this first period, you will start to appreciate American culture and above all life in San Francisco. You will probably never feel at home but if you are able to have new and interesting relationships, you will remember this period of your life forever. The second period of difficulty usually comes when you have too much free time. In fact, you start thinking of what you could have done if you were in your country and you start missing your family, friends, and partner.
My suggestion is to try to live the American life as much as possible and not to spend your day after school staying home watching television. There is so much culture in the streets of San Francisco that it would be a pity to waste it. Every time that you feel homesick, just take your time and think about how lucky you are to have this experience and how many people from your country would like to be in your place.


	Student Corner Students share their diverse experiences in San Francisco
				Homestay or Residence Club? A comparison by Yoshimi, Japan and Yoko, Japan click on chart to enlarge Homestay It is very interesting to live with an American family. You can learn a lot about American culture and have a lot of different experiences.You can learn not only the language but also the American lifestyle.You'll realize many different things about your culture by living with an American family and that'll effect you in many ways.It is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with an American family and learn more about American life. Staying In A Residence Club I think staying in a residence club is a very good way for me to study English. I have a roommate, so after school I have an opportunity to speak English. We often talk about our own countries and it's very interesting. I can also make many friends at a Residence Club. We sometimes have a party in the kitchen. We are like a big family. First,I thought about living in an apartment,but it's expensive. Residence Clubs are cheap and they are downtown, so they are convenient to go shopping, to school, and to the movies. I recommend residence clubs. Friendly People In San Francisco by Hoi-Lim and TomohikoYamada Many people from different countries live in San Francisco. For example, Chinese live in Chinatown, Italians live in North Beach and Japanese live in Japantown. When you come to San Francisco, you can feel their cultures.If you are a foreigner, you can talk to them in your own language. That is how San Francisco is. This was one of my friends' experiences.The first day that he came to San Francisco, he could not find his hotel, so he looked at a map and he still could not find it. He was alone and confused on the street. Then a man asked him where he wanted to go and he answered: "I am looking for Post Street". After he looked at his map, the man showed him where the street was and he found the hotel and thought how kind that man was! There are a lot of people like this in San Francisco and they have a lot of friends. They always see their friends in town and say hello to them. For example, when a MUNI bus driver sees a friend who is walking on the street, he honks at him/ her and says hello in a loud voice. At the ball park, people often see their friends,and say hello to them too.You can always see and hear people laughing, which is very nice. People in San Francisco are also very kind to the elderly and handicapped. For example, when the elderly and handicapped need help to take MUNI, everyone helps them and sometimes people in wheelchairs need room to sit ,so everyone will help them be seated. If you come to San Francisco, you can experience these things too. We promise!
	Culture Shock by Luca, Italy Culture shock can be compared to an iceberg. The different stages of culture shock are like the different parts of an iceberg. The top of an iceberg can be related to the emotional impact that a new culture has on anyone who is from a foreign country. Everyone notices the top of an iceberg as well as realizes the effects of a new culture on his/her behavior; but what is really interesting is that no one realizes the effects of culture shock on his/her mind and soul or knows how deep the bottom part of an iceberg is. Before going to a new country, everyone is a little scared of leaving his personal affects and discovering something that he/she doesn't know. If we add to this feeling the fact that most of us arrive in the States without speaking or understanding English very well, it is easily understandable why the first week abroad is often traumatic. At this time, the people you meet play a very important role in your getting close to and comfortable to a new culture. That's why the teachers, your classmates, and school in general assume a fundamental role. When I first arrived in San Francisco, I was so scared and excited by the idea of being far away from my native country that I couldn't speak English and I had a lot of problems getting to my residence. I remember that the trip from the airport to my hotel seemed like a movie to me. Everything around me was so different from my country: the cars were very strange, the landscape was the opposite of that of Europe, and the people were talking with a funny, incomprehensible accent. During the first week, you don't normally feel homesick because you are too busy organizing your new life and meeting people. But, at this time, you will probably make a lot of mistakes. I remember that I was so anxious to find a permanent place to sleep that I paid two months rent for a very ugly residence. I still regret that time of my stay in Berkeley. Sometimes, you don't like to book everything from your country because you prefer to check it out personally and find the best place that fits your needs, but I think that it is better to make all the arrangements from home. There are too many things to think about when you live in a new environment and the place where you live is so fundamental. Another aspect of culture shock that I want to point out is the reaction that you might have in seeing people sleeping on the street and asking you for money every day. In most countries, this is not allowed and it could be strange for some of you. I personally grew up in quite a dangerous city where it is part of daily life. What I noticed that was very different from my culture was the way teachers dressed during class. In Europe, most of them used to teach dressed up and the relationship between students and teachers is very formal. Another thing that I noticed during my first month in the States was that everyone eats all day long. When you walk in the street and look inside some restaurants, you can find people eating all the time. In Europe, this is unusual. In fact, we eat at specific times and we only eat three meals a day. In the States, you will see people having dinner at 6pm, when we are usually still working. I think that if you plan to stay in the States for a long time, there are two difficult times when you will feel very homesick. The first one occurs at the end of your third month,when you have already gotten used to your new life and you start comparing your new life with the one you left in your country. If you get through this first period, you will start to appreciate American culture and above all life in San Francisco. You will probably never feel at home but if you are able to have new and interesting relationships, you will remember this period of your life forever. The second period of difficulty usually comes when you have too much free time. In fact, you start thinking of what you could have done if you were in your country and you start missing your family, friends, and partner. My suggestion is to try to live the American life as much as possible and not to spend your day after school staying home watching television. There is so much culture in the streets of San Francisco that it would be a pity to waste it. Every time that you feel homesick, just take your time and think about how lucky you are to have this experience and how many people from your country would like to be in your place.