New Place = Culture Shock?

You wonder what travelling has to do with language love? Well, I'll tell you: If you travel to foreign countries, you most likely need to know at least some in their language. Plus, languages and the cultures of the countries they are spoken in belong together. So, let me tell you some about culture shocks.

I am in America at the moment, in a big city. And I come from Germany, from a small town. So, I knew I was in for some sort of culture shock. But, I wasn't in for one at the supermarket. What happened?

When I went to some part of the city, I knew it would be impressive at best and that I would have many new impressions rushing in on me. I was prepared, and it went without a culture shock. Of course, it was all new to me, I had to get used to it, but I wasn't alone and I was prepared for it.

The other day, when we went to the supermarket, I wasn't prepared. I mean, who on earth would think of a culture shock at a SUPERMARKET? It couldn't be that different, could it? Well, it could...and it was. I had all those new and/or different products rushing in on me, the different measurements, the different currency, the different prices. I was overwhelmed!

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is this: If you go to some new place, be prepared for a culture shock EVERYWHERE! That way, you prepare yourself and might be able to cope with the different impressions just fine, while when you're not prepared, it will likely overwhelm you at some point too.

Be prepared to have a whole set of new impressions, differences and maybe even disappontments and you should be just fine. That said, enjoy your travels!