Sunday 13 December 2015

How to survive in India

or any country for that matter.


How to overcome the negative effects of culture shock

  1. Keep an open mind and increase our motivation to learn; Seek to see, hear, learn, understand what we didn’t before;
  2. Recognize that we may be experiencing this shock process; Don’t deny it, realistically lower expectations, face it;
  3. Expect uncertainty, ambiguity, and strangeness in new environments; Seek to be tolerant and understanding of things that are not clear; Expect to encounter new cultures in unexpected places; Be ready to be more adventurous, ready to encounter newness, explore;
  4. Develop social support networks to overcome loneliness; Try to meet new people, develop acquaintances, make new friends; Use social media to stay connected with home, friends (people like me), and reach out to and engage in new networks (people different from me);
  5. Try to be non-judgmental, suspend ethnocentrism (withhold own norms); Suspend our insistence that “my way is right” to consider other ways; Broaden your perspective, consider a wider range of options, negotiate; Maintain your own values with grace, but give due respect to others;
  6. Maintain a good sense of humor, able to laugh at yourself; Don’t take yourself too seriously, or make other groups the laughing stock; Learn to take things easier, relax, let laughter help release tensions;
  7. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learn through them and treasure them; Let such stories become part of our learning and connecting process.



    In today's world everyone of us faces some cultural shock wherever we go. This tips are a shortcuts how to learn from our experiences.

    To learn more I would suggest an excellent free online course on Intercultural Communication from where I copied this tips.

    https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/intercultural-communication