Culture Shock

New sights, new sounds, and new surroundings can all be very exciting. One minute you’re on cloud 9, nothing can go wrong, you’re invincible. Then the next, something changes, and suddenly you’re clicking your heels and can’t stop saying “there’s no place like home.

Everyone goes through some degree of culture shock. By understanding the stages and being aware of your feelings, you’ll give yourself greater opportunity to enjoy your stay and find a “new home” abroad.

Knowing about culture shock won’t prevent it, but being aware of it can help you cope. Even long-term ex-pats can experience symptoms of culture shock after years of living in a different culture. You may find somedays feel like you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back. Simply acknowledging culture shock can help to ease its effects.

The 3 Stages of Culture Shock

1. The “honeymoon” stage. Your first moments, days, and for some, even weeks in a foreign place. Everything is new, your eyes are wide, and your desire to explore is high along with your spirits. Embrace these days, as you’ll remember everything vividly.
2. The “I’m tired of new culture” stage. Novelties have lost their glow and small things are starting to nag at you. Anything, anyone, any action different from back home could negatively affect you. This can all hit hard, making it important to understand. If you find yourself being irritable, angry at other people, locking yourself in your room, sleeping more than usual, or extremely homesick, chances are you are suffering the negative stage of culture shock.
3. The “I’ve found a new home” stage. You’ve made it past the worst of it, you are starting to accept and act like those around you. You’re keeping busy (in a good way) by joining clubs, starting traditions, meeting people, and exploring your surroundings. Suddenly, you realize you fit in, you’re cozy, you’re on top of the world and never want to come home.

Recommended ways to beat the “I’m tired of new culture” stage.

• Be open minded to things that are different.
• Be quick to explore and slow to judge.
• Take advantage of your precious time abroad and do not let it go to waste by constantly chatting on the internet, watching TV, or calling home for hours a day (once a week is more than enough!)
• If you find yourself spending your time with people who constantly complain about the new culture, surround yourself with others who embrace it.
• Stay active, get out of the house.
• Learn to laugh at yourself.

Advice from the World Citizens’ Guide for Americans abroad:

• Look, listen, and learn – see the sights, hear the sounds, and try to understand how people live.
• Think big, act small, and be humble – boasting can be considered quite rude in some countries.
• Live, eat, and play local – try to get out and meet some locals!  Try the cuisine, visit the bars, museums, and other local attractions.
• Dialogue instead of monologue – when you are talking about your life and the U.S. ask others how it compares to theirs and how they live in their own country.

A few stereotypes about the Swiss

Though you’ll meet people from all over the world, you’ll still find yourself working and living alongside the Swiss. As anywhere, cultural stereotypes abound, but the following points might help you to understand the local culture a bit more before your arrival. This is what people say about Swiss, you can decide for yourself whether they ring true for your experience:

The Swiss are individualist. Swiss have a saying: ‘On lave son linge sale en famille’ (One washes his dirty laundry within the family) which means that they like to keep their problems to themselves and also don’t like to get involved in other people’s problems. Another common saying among Swiss that supports this stereotype is: ‘Aide-toi et le ciel t’aidera’ - Heaven helps those who help themselves.

The Swiss like things clean. Swiss have been blessed with a beautiful country and landscape composed of mountains, lakes and rivers – and they take very good care of it! If you visit any Swiss city you will immediately notice how clean and tidy everything is. Did you know that anyone who wants to put a TV antenna on their roof in Switzerland must ask the local council for authorization because it might make spoil the neighborhood’s appearance?

The Swiss are very rules oriented. Don’t be surprised if a local warns you not to cross the street when the light is red, even if it’s middle of the night and there is no one else on the street! The Swiss love their country and respect the rules that have helped created the highest standard of living in the world.

The Swiss can be reserved and serious. Only 30% of Geneva inhabitants are from Geneva. Swiss citizens from elsewhere make up 30% and foreigners make up 40%. So you see quickly that being an ‘outsider’ isn’t so unusual in Geneva. Therefore, don’t be surprised if it takes a little bit of effort on your part to get to know the locals. It’s not that they wouldn’t like to talk to you, it’s just that the idea of starting a conversation with a stranger seems unnatural. They are more careful and reserved and like to take time to get to know someone.

The Swiss respect privacy. Laws supporting discretion and the respect of privacy have long been in force, especially for lawyers, trustees and bankers. The banking secrecy laws are very strict and a banker who reveals information about a client to anybody but a Swiss judge with a search warrant will be fined and can be sent to prison.

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