“We should never denigrate any other culture but rather help people to
understand the relationship between their own culture and the dominant culture. When you understand another culture or language, it does not mean that you have to lose your own culture.”

Edward T. Hall

I’m sitting in a hot, rickety van on a foldable seat. We are six, big Western people in the van, with our big, Western luggage stored at the back and among our feet. The air is humid, the road long and bumpy.

In addition to vans, tuk-tuks are a common ride in Cambodia.

The six of us make a group of volunteers teaching English in the small village of Bakod in Southern Cambodia. We are on our way to the capital, Phnom Penh, to indulge, for a weekend, with luxuries such as air-conditioning, cold drinks, and Internet connection. In Bakod, there is no electricity, only a few electric light bulbs to light up the quiet hours from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am. It goes without saying that we are all looking forward to be in the buzz of a city.

The van picked us up from the village this morning, a very unusual practice. To catch a ride, people in Cambodia usually gather along a high way to find someone going to the same general direction as them. But we are the foreigners, the barang, thought to get lost in such endeavors. So, the van man agreed to pick us up.

In Bakod the van man had a short conversation in Khmer with our local school instructor. “A few locals may hop in on the way,” our instructor translated to us, laughing.  A few locals. No problem. It was van, after all.

But now, sitting on the wobbly seats in the moving van, bouncing up and down with our luggage, hoping not to bang our heads to the ceiling, we look around in the van and find that space is scarce.

“We can probably fit a couple more people at the back,” someone says. Yes, couple of people seems reasonable, three or four more will be a stretch.

Once we get to the high way the driver stops the van and begins to advertise our destination with a piece of cardboard, which supposedly says ‘Phnom Penh’. After 10 minutes, two young men climb in and take the seats at the back. Shortly after them, a couple with a small baby enters the van, miraculously finding more seating at the back.

Everyone is sweating. When the car is still, without the breeze of driving, the road is suffocatingly hot. Even inside the car, in the shade, my hair becomes glued to my forehead.

“Do you think we’re ready to go now?” someone rhetorically asks.

Hoping for the best, we all forgot to prepare for the worst. We were nowhere near ready to go…

The British often say the only trouble with France is it’s full of French people!
But, it’s not only the British who have trouble with the French it seems. There is a condition called “Paris Syndrome” which is a type of Culture Shock especially experienced by the Japanese when visiting Paris – born out of unmet expectations of an idealised, romantic view of Paris and the reality of their experiences and encounters with the ‘rude’ French.

When working internationally, there are certain principles
that are good to remember:

1. Acknowledge differences exist
2. Understand and analyse why those differences exist
3. Appreciate the unique values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of different cultures
4. Adapt your behaviour — including your cross-cultural communication style — to meet the needs of others.
5. Be sensitive to feedback and adapt accordingly.

When things just don’t seem to be going right… Remember:

Living and working in the Arab World will be completely different from anything else you have so far experienced. The place will be full of wonder and new things to encounter; exciting times – that’s the upside. However, most Western managers find working practices very frustrating and the lifestyle limiting; challenging times – that’s the downside. So how can you prepare for your new posting?

Individual culture shock is well-known but researchers
suggest that Eastern European countries are showing symptoms of ‘collective culture shock‘ as they undergo a transition from their communist heritage. Post-communist countries exhibit characteristics like an irritation about authority, diffusion (mix-up) of private and business spheres, a lack of confidence and orientation, a blockade to take action, rising xenophobia and fluctuating levels of self-esteem.

These reactions are the result of confrontation with a foreign culture – in this case foreign ideology. Unfortunately, this “collective culture shock” influences management and business relations and causes problems…

There are many models that exist to describe the stages of emotions
and behaviours that one experiences during culture shock and the adaptation process. All of these models include periods of highs and lows, anticipation and resolution.  One model that describes the many ups and downs of culture shock is Rhinesmith’s Ten Stages of Adjustment.

So, you are off on a new adventure! You’re moving abroad.
You’re going to explore new cultures, do new things and meet new people.  However, living or working in a completely different culture can leave you feeling a little homesick. Here are a few tips of what to do before you go to help you acclimatise.