Ashutosh Madhurajan

Culture Shock
PCOM 0105 Intercultural Comm Skills – B180(2)
Deborah Lewiski

Culture Shock

Culture shock occurs when we enter an unfamiliar society. I am from India and it itself a multi-

diverse country, but I have not visited many parts of it. Since, I have not travelled a lot in the

past, coming to Canada is a whole new experience which is quite different from my nation. The

biggest culture shock I have faced in Canada is the unpredictable weather which can change

within hours. Moreover, in the beginning, it is quite difficult to understand the local practices and

the behaviour of the people. In Canada everything is systematic and organised, which is very

surprising for me because I have not seen such practices back home.

In the beginning, I was missing my parents and home a lot, as it was my first time leaving family

and travelling alone. This was one of the reasons why it was becoming even more difficult for

me to adjust to the circumstances and conditions in Canada.

In the end, I always motivated myself because my parents have not sent me here to be sad.

There is a reason, they invested on me so much and I can not just let them down. I prepared

myself by buying winter jackets, snow shoes and gloves. Now I always check the weather

forecast and cover myself before stepping out of my house. Moreover, I started communicating

people and making new friends around me to mould myself into their culture. These are the best

solutions I could come off by experiencing and spending 2 months in Canada.

I would like to advise to the other travellers that they must come well prepared and must be

mentally and physically strong to handle themselves. The struggle is real here but with time

things get settled down and all the pieces fall into place.