Culture Shock

Culture shock is exact the impact when you enter a culture very different from to which you are accustomed.
Culture shock may make you uncomfortable, lonely, strange, very surprise, amused, confused, offensive,…or embarrasing to deal with new things. We usually get this state through immigrant or stu dying in new places, especially in foreign countries.
Nomatter how well you prepare, there are many things in a culture that you can not find in a book. The misundestanding is popular in languages and body languages , names, behaviors, law and other.
Each nation/region has its own customs and habits and even it is easy to find out the differences among areas in the same nation. In fact, Western people have their particular –gracious and discreet –way to express their feelings and we find they are quite unlike those who live in Eastern countries. Even though we are living in the same beautiful and peaceful nation, Vietnam, but you may recognize the difficulty on trying to adapt new things when you move from the South to the North.
The solution to culture shock is, in my opinion, trying to learn the culture. We can learn by watching, listening, paying attention to everything around us then get our lessons and try to adapt new environment. This not only makes our knowledge widen but also help us practise the ability of sufferance.
A Thailan woman with her necklaces


SOME POINTS TO DISCUSS:
- What is your opinion about the definition of culture shock?
- Have you ever got the culture shock? How did you feel?
What did you do to pass this shock?
- Can you tell us some unforgetable misunderstandings you stuck on culture? When? Where?
- Can you share with us the customs and habits in your region/area? (weedings, greeting, giving gifts to another, traditional festivals,…)
- What do you thinks about this topic?


FUTHER READING:
* KISSING IN ARAB
Usually Arabs greet each other with cheek-to-cheek kissing either women or men, and that varies from an Arab country to another. The more you go East toward the Gulf countries, the less the kissing is between the two genders and it varies as you go West toward Egypt, Sham or the countries of al-Maghrib al-Aqsa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). In Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries, kissing would be woman to woman or man to man only, unless women and men are related by blood, then it's ok. Look after this because some people don't like to receive the greeting of kissing from the other gender. The number of kissing and which cheek to kiss first varies from a country to another. Remember, it's ONLY cheek to cheek (no lips to cheek involved here) and yo u're supposed to make a noise of kissing in the air. So meaning, as you kiss cheek to cheek, you make the noise in the air. - In Saudi Arabia, you gotta kiss the other person 3 times as follows: 1 time on the right cheek, 2 times on the left cheek - In Sham (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine): 1 time on the right, 1 time on the left, and again 1 time on the right (P.S. in London, i found it different, 1 time on the right cheek and that's it.) Also in the Gulf countries, the greeting of nose kissing is common especially among men; that would be to let your nose touch the nose of the other person one time. In the region I come from (Western Saudi), this tradition of kissing is almost never carried out. It's only common in central Saudi and probably Northern and Eastern regions. So again it may vary when to do nose-kissing and when not. The easiest is just to say 'salaam alikum', this is the most common verbal greeting and it will win you the hearts of your hosts;^) Good luck with your kissing!

* SHINTO- ONE OF POPURLAR RELIGIONS IN JAPAN
Shinto, "the way of the gods", is the original religion of Japan. Starting about 500 BCE (or earlier) it was originally a mix of nature worship, fertility cults (groups that pray for more crops), fortune telling, hero worship, and shamanism (magic). Its name came from the Chinese words "shin tao" (The Way of the Gods) in the 8th Century CE.
Followers of Shinto worship the spirits (or "kami") that live in nature. Every mountain, river, tree or other part of nature is thought to be animated (brought to live) by a divinity (god or goddess or spirit). These gods or spirits are called "kami". They dwell in nature, but can protect people. Therefore, people pray to them and make offerings, such as wine, food, or incense. The Kami are seen as benign (good, kind); they help and protect people.
The kami are consulted before important events, such as weddings, the openning of a business, making a major decision, etc. Believers look into the Shinto calendar for a lucky day when all the gods will work in the favor of the event. Even today before a new office building is built, there are offerings to the god by a high official of the Shinto religion to bring good luck to the building and to the new business.
The Japanese people in the Middle Ages and in modern times love nature. Nature is sacred. To be in contact with nature is to be close to the gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
Shrines: The followers of Shinto built shrines dedicated to a specific kami. Some shrines are small and like look a small altar covered with a roof. Others are surrounded by walls and have several buildings dedicated to the kami. When entering a shrine, one passed through a Tori gate, a special gateway for the Gods. This gate marks the movement between the finite world (the world that is limited, has boundaries and endings for people in death) and the infinite world (the world that is limitless, without end) of the gods. Inside the shrines, the believers would wash their hands and rinse their mouths with water from a special well to purify themselves. They would offer prayers, make a request to learn the future, make an offering, or observe a sacred dance performance dedicated to the gods. When they left the shrine they would carry out the peace that came from the contact with the gods.
Many homes also have small shrines. The family would pray and make offerings of incense or food at this shrine, and pray to their ancestors.
Physical cleanliness was important. Japanese took baths, washed their hands, and rinsed out their mouth often.
Another important part of Shinto is worship and respect of ancestors. In the worship of ancestors absolute loyalty was very important. Tradition and the family are still important. The family is seen as the main way by which traditions are preserved. The main celebrations in Shinto relate to birth and marriage, through which the family traditions are preserved.
Shinto creation stories tell of the history and lives of the "Kami." Among them was a divine couple, Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, who gave birth to the Japanese islands. Their children became the deities of the various Japanese clans. Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess) was one of their daughters. She is the ancestress of the Imperial Family. Her descendants unified the country. Her brother, Susano came down from heaven and roamed throughout the earth. He is famous for killing a great evil serpent.
The emperor was considered to be a direct descendant of the heavenly Sun Goddess.


MOST POPULAR PROVERBS

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Out of sight, out of mind.
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