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A lesson on culture shock - Deborah Siegel

Culture shock is probably not the first thing one might associate with the International School of Helsinki (ISH).  Finland -- where streets are safe, cities are clean, and the locals speak amazing English -- is not exactly a “hardship” country compared to many of the places my students, colleagues and I have lived.  So I was a bit surprised when, during my first year at ISH, I began hearing jarring phrases (like “I hate Finland”) within my homeroom group, aged 13-14.  Having been reminded that culture shock can strike anywhere, I decided to incorporate a discussion of it into my curriculum.

Delving into the topic.  I began by listening to my students, and here’s what I learned:  Most moved often; saw close friends or trusted teachers come and go frequently; and lived with the constant worry that Mom or Dad’s next transfer to yet another country was just around the corner.  Yet despite these stressors, most had never heard the term “culture shock.”  With the help of a brochure produced by London’s Richmond University, we discussed the stages of culture shock:  Honeymoon, Hostility, Adjustment, and Adaptation.  This helped the class to identify, for example, that a student who repeatedly made insulting comments about Finland might not be “a jerk” -- he or she might just be caught in “The Hostility Stage” of culture shock.  This recognition alone immediately helped ease some the classroom tension I had witnessed.  I then had each student write a paragraph describing a culture shock experience.  I discovered that, for most, harsh vocal manifestations were just the tip of the iceberg.  Their paragraphs echoed painful experiences -- when the most polite, highest scoring student in the group wrote “I hate Finland,” it became clear we needed to do more.

Creative outlets.  I asked the students to “re-make” the Richmond University Brochure by designing a new cover aimed at teenagers and adding their own techniques for managing culture shock.  One showed a woman pulling her hair out; but others were more constructive, with one asking “Think you are stressed?  Maybe you are culture shocked!”  Warming to the topic, some students then asked if they could make videos; these were insightful -- and hilarious!  In one clip, a boy approached a group of pretty young ladies, who suddenly surrounded him, shouting only in Finnish.  He panicked, screamed and ran from the room. 

Did it help?  Indeed.  Our initial discussions gave students a term for the mix of emotions that they or their peers were feeling, and helped them identify culture shock.  But it was in the creating of their brochures and videos that the learning process began.  They started to see that culture shock is universal; that it eventually passes; and friendship, forgiveness, and a good sense of humor can all help speed the process.

Resources
Richmond University.  2009.  Culture Shock Handout.  In Richmond The American International University In London.  Accessed Feb 2009.  Available from the World Wide Web at: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/cms/pdfs/culture-shock1.pdf

Guanipa, Carmen.  1998.  Culture Shock.  In SDSU College of Education.  Accessed Feb 2009.  Available from the World Wide Web at http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/cGuanipa/cultshok.htm#etapas

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