Cross cultural understanding: a handbook to understand others’ cultures

participate in the class to speak up when we 
know the answer. 
Li
: but I don‘t want to be impolite 
Jack 
: don‘t worry, you‘re doing fine. You always 
do the homework, and know the answer 
correctly. 
 

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Cross Cultural Understanding | 103 
CHAPTER VI 
CULTURE SHOCK 
 
Living in a new environment can be a real pain if we have 
no knowledge about it and its culture. It‘s totally different from 
just visiting or spending holiday in foreign country or places. 
Culture shock happens when people become anxious because 
they do not speak the language, know the custom or understand 
people‘s in daily life. People who cannot adjust themselves to the 
new environment or new culture may reject everything that is 
new to them and exaggerate the positive aspects of their own 
culture. 
For many people, one of the first differences they notice 
when traveling to a different country is the food. Newcomers to 
the United States are often shocked by portion sizes, by how 
often people eat, or by the places people eat (e.g., in their cars). 
They may also be shocked by the amount of meat and cheese in 
most American dishes. Meanwhile, Americans who travel abroad 
are often surprised by the varieties of foods eaten. They may 
encounter types of food they've never seen before. Travelers who 
are afraid of trying new things are more likely to have a negative 
experience or more profound culture shock. 
The definition of culture shock is the trauma you 
experience when you move into a culture different from your 
home culture. Culture shock is the personal disorientation a 

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104 | Cross Cultural Understanding 
person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due 
to immigration or a visit to a new country, or to a move between 
social environments, also a simple travel to another type of life.