Dealing with "Culture Shock" when offered an international assignment

We've all experienced disorientation when we've traveled that results from being in strange, and unfamiliar settings.  By "culture shock", (one of the main reasons that expatriates cite for having difficulties on overseas assognments, I mean the profound sense of disorientation and discomfort that comes with extended travel or living in a foreign culture markedly different from one’s own.

You have discovered that your "tourist" sensibilities have been overtaken that you're going to be here for a while, in other words.

This is hardly a new phenomenon, and it was been widely studied and there is much written about it.  Here's a "Whitmans sampler" version...

First, there are "stages" of culture shock:

• Initial enthusiasm and euphoria
  • The individual experiences a holiday or 'honeymoon' period with their new surroundings. They feel very positive about the culture, are overwhelmed with impressions, find the new culture exotic and are fascinated, and are passive, meaning they have little experience of the culture
    
• Irritability and negativism
  • The individual now has some more face to face experience of the culture and starts to find things different, strange and frustrating.  They find the behavior of the people unusual and unpredictable, begin to dislike the culture and react negatively to the behavior, feel anxious, start to withdraw and begin to criticize, mock or show animosity to the people
• Gradual  adjustment and adaptation
  • The individual now has now developed a routine, feels more settled and is more confident in dealing with the new culture.  They understand and accept the behavior of the people, feel less isolated and have regained their sense of humor
• Integration and bi-culturalism
  • The individual now feels 'at home'.  They enjoy being in the culture, and function well in the culture.  They now prefer certain cultural traits of the new culture rather than their own and have adopted certain behaviors from the new culture

It is important to let individuals and families considering foreign assignments that this "cycle" is pretty predictable, and that they will survive it and come out of the experience with new rich perspectives and attitudes.