Everyone experiences culture shock to some degree. The following information is offered to help prepare you for your time abroad. Please also beware of reverse culture shock when returning to your home country to find that you may have a new perspective which can be as challenging to address as living abroad!

	What is it? Culture shock is a term widely known and a condition widely feared. It involves emotional and physical responses to the accumulated stresses and strains, which stem from being forced to meet one's everyday needs in unfamiliar ways. But culture shock isn't all bad, as you may discover. As you approach that anticipated day when everything is packed, addresses have been exchanged, and you are ready to board that plane, a million different questions would have raced through your mind: "What if I don't fit in?" "How will I know how to act in certain situations?" "I don't know the language; how will I get around?"
	Relax Undoubtedly you will feel some jolts as you try to get along in a strange culture, but they can help you to develop more effective ways of coping and accomplishing your aims in being abroad. For many people, culture shock and cross-cultural adjustment progress through stages, sometimes in cycles, sometimes in conjunction with each other, and sometimes in haphazard order. The following information contains the general stages some go through in coming to grips with culture shock and the progression towards cultural integration.
	Honeymoon Stage The emotions associated with this stage can hit you almost immediately when you arrive in your host country. Appropriately named the Honeymoon Stage due to an overwhelming sense of euphoric fascination, this stage is characterized by elevated emotions (usually happy and excited) from lots of unusual stimuli, exhilaration from novel activities, a heady sense of having done yourself proud in getting to another culture, and an early fascination with all the sights and sounds. Undoubtedly, your new environment will be nothing like the one you're used to in your home country. You will want to see, taste, smell, and discover every fascinating nook and cranny of your incredible new world. But take caution. You are going to be living in this new place for a given period of time. Don't swallow the whole pill at once. Cultural adjustment and integration don't happen overnight.
	Post-Honeymoon Depression Stage This stage is the most troublesome for many. After a brief but rousing ride of the senses during the first few weeks, you are faced with the harsh reality that you are a stranger in a strange place. You may feel a sense of mild to acute depression coupled with confusion and frustration, fatigue, and irritability at slight provocation and criticism. The most difficult part of this stage for many is an overwhelming sense of loneliness, the sense of being a naive foreigner amidst a sea of strangers. You may feel a need to meet others, but a reluctance to take the initiative, or a fear of getting lost, anxiety over language demands, and a strong desire to interact with and be dependent upon other travelers. Many will experience a terrible longing for home and a preoccupation with maintaining close contact with friends and family back home. There is no cultural aspirin, though talk is a good antidote to homesickness. Try to talk with people who are experiencing it at the same time as you are, but don't let the discussion degenerate into mere griping. The most effective way is to identify loneliness and depression early on and then explore ways to overcome them productively. Telltale signs of early stress may be evidenced in ways so mild you may not even know they are products of depression and homesickness. Symptoms such as change in appetite, prolonged and distressed sleep, loss of inventiveness, spontaneity and flexibility, and decline in schoolwork quality may be the manifestations of your anxiety and depression. One of the problems in dealing with homesickness is that frequently people don't realize (or even deny) they are experiencing 'something'. The feelings are ascribed to other causes and it is difficult to counteract something you don't believe is affecting you. But once you do recognize what is happening, there are a number of things you can do. The first thing one might do is to find a willing ear in someone to listen to your grievances. Confide in friends (by this time, you should have already befriended at least one other person on the program), and even your host family or other local, that you are sad and homesick. You may be surprised at how supportive they can be. Next, try to come up with productive solutions to counteract any feelings of loneliness. Surround yourself with some familiar things--a favorite photo, postcards from friends back home, etc.--to make your new environment pleasant and reinforcing. Many find that they cut back on writing postcards and letters, refrain from making daily email checks, and stop overseas phone calls altogether. You may feel an overpowering need to dial back home to hear a comforting and familiar voice. But take heed: Not only will you end up paying through the nose for overseas phone tolls, but in the end, it may serve to just prevent you further from integrating yourself into your new culture and making new friends. Of course, that is not to say you shouldn't ever call home! There is no easy solution to overcoming homesickness and depression. Each person's situation is different and each person will find his or her own way of dealing with stressful times. Be assured that, however stressful, homesickness and depression will pass if you are willing to let the process of cultural learning and cross-cultural adaptation take its course. It is an awesome ride.
	Cultural Acclimation Stage For many, this stage overlaps the previous in that, while you are searching for solutions to maladjustments, you are at the same time meeting new friends and becoming involved in the new culture. You are learning new procedures and establishing new patterns to old routines, adapting to new ways, and seeing things in a new light. This is the stage in which you grab yourself by the bootstraps and make your slow ascent toward cultural integration. For some, this stage is a rediscovery of old interests and a realization that those things that once elicited fear now bring joy. With new-found vigor and curiosity, force yourself to discover parts of the city (and parts of the country) that you have never visited before. Take the initiative to familiarize yourself with cultural etiquette and norms, and with this knowledge, you can go out and make new friends.
	Cultural Integration Stage This is the stage in which you are putting together everything you have learned so far. You are redefining your own cultural borders while accepting the highs and the lows of the new culture. Essentially, you are trying to become a part of the host culture and comfortably traversing its various terrains. By this time, you will feel integrated and comfortable with your new culture. You will know the city streets by heart and recognize neighbors and patrons alike as being a part of the community. Unfortunately, this also often comes at the time when your program is almost over. Many may experience feelings of not wanting to leave this "second home" that they have worked so painfully and diligently to become a part of. Many will feel cheated at the fact that this feeling of comfortable integration is a process and most processes take a great deal of time and investment to make them work out right. If for no other reason, take comfort in the thought that your next visit to your "second home" will be a much more pleasurable one. Remember, studying, living and traveling abroad is a dynamic learning experience. Part of this learning experience involves testing your independence and flexibility in adapting to a new environment. Have faith in yourself and trust that each high point and low point is part of the natural process of cultural adaptation. Relax, be confident, and above all, HAVE FUN!