Dear future world traveler,

After traveling to China this summer, I have realized that I am now an expert on world travel and wanted to take the time to impar my wisdom on the next group of travelers. As a disclaimer, I may not be an expert considering I have very limited experience traveling abroad, but confidence is key. But this trip taught me about the four stages of Culture Shock, and I feel I now know the key on how to manage through it. So, buckle up as you learn how to manage through it as well.

Stage 1: The Honeymoon Stage
This stage is what you experience when you first arrive in the new country, the excitement of a dream starts to become a reality. You know you are in this stage when everything is amazing, and it feels like a once in a lifetime experience. Tourists often feel infatuated with every part of the host land from the food and language, to the culture and the people. This is the stage I was in the most while visiting the country.

Right when I stepped off the plane I realized I had finally landed in Beijing and I was instantly intrigued by China. The next few days I was filled with energy and wanted to make the most my time by seeing everything. I was able to see things as I learned about their history such as Tiananmen Square, Hutong, and the Great Wall, giving me a different perspective not offered in a traditional classroom setting. Throughout the trip, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be a part of the program and visit a place I never imagined myself in, with tour guides taking care of transportation, lodging, and flights making our experience stress free. Once we traveled to Shanghai I was in this stage stronger than ever. The bright lights of the city and the upbeat energy of the city was contagious, in this stage I didn’t even mind having to squat when using the bathrooms in China, they are typically porcelain holes in the ground. I also felt brave as liver, esophagus, cartilage, and while I didn’t know which animal it came from, I was along for the ride and the new adventure.
The picture below shows a beautiful Koi Pong in Yu Garden
(Blog 2 Pic1)

This picture shows our first night in Shanghai next to the Huangpu River
(Blog 2 Pic 2)

Stage 2: The Frustration/Homesick Stage
The frustration stage, many people are bound up to end up with a day feeling homesick and or frustrated in a new place. This stage is the hardest to manage because you’re fighting the feeling and don’t want it to ruin your time. During this stage you are painfully aware of the differences between the country and your homeland. Small setbacks like missing your hotel key or trying to call down a cab can be frustrating. Luckily, I only experienced one day of this stage.

My ninth day in China is when I felt the most frustrated and homesick. All I did was crave basic comforts of home that I never knew existed. I was uninterested to try adventurous foods, I didn’t even want a fried dumpling, I was dreaming about a local Mexican food restaurant near my house and how I wish I had some familiar comforts. The best thing to know is that it’s a completely normal aspect of traveling to a new land and there are simple ways of managing it.

The best way to maintain your sanity through this stage is to find a palette cleanser. For me, it was spending my night in the hotel and ordering a cheeseburger from room service. The next morning, I felt refreshed and ambitious to start my day.

Stage 3: The Adjusting Stage
The third stage is the adjustment stage, in this magical place you start to figure out how to manage yourself and the new land you’re in. You become more welcoming and comfortable to the food, people, language, and customs.

I would feel like I was in this stage at some points throughout the trip in China, I thought I could manage myself well there. I was able to communicate what I wanted/needed with the few Chinese word I knew and some questionable gestures the locals may or may not have understood. While pointing and saying XièXiè a few times I was able to successively order fried dumplings from a local eatery or even a Big Mac from McDonalds.

(Blog 2 Pic 3)

Stage 4: The Acceptance Stage
Just like most of these things go, the last and final stage is acceptance. In this stage you realize that you don’t have everything understood. You can understand nothing about the culture, language, or environment and still love spending your time there. Acceptance is understanding and realizing that you are in a new, exciting, foreign place.

While in China I found things that I didn’t stand, locals had many different customs and mannerisms from Americans, and that one was not better than the other. Traveling through IBS helped me gain acceptance throughout the whole trip. While I was traveling with strangers, we all realized we were all in this together and embraced that. That helped all of us feel as ease and helped the tension and confusion feel less important and dramatic.