Living, working or studying overseas
not only involves the day to day effort of doing your job
or keeping up with your school work, you'll also need to adapt
to the culture that you've planted yourself in. The question
is: are you that type?
Jill Arcaro Gordon
After the initial elation and novelty of living, working
or studying abroad cools down, the frustration of having to
adapt culturally can sometimes be overwhelming. Minor inconveniences
for some people are huge obstacles for others and overcoming
your North American expectations can require patience, resourcefulness
- and a good sense of humour.
So, the question stands: How do you know if you're
cut out for an extended sojourn abroad? While there are no
rules about who is likely to sink or swim in an unfamiliar
culture, you may not be ready to let go of the edge of your
own backyard pool if you can't deal with these sorts
of things:
Communication breakdowns
At home, you're probably used to a phone that works,
relatively fast Internet service and mail that is actually
delivered within a few day's time. In many countries,
these services can be somewhat less reliable. Your cell phone
may not work and there will be times when payphones eat up
your money without delivering the goods (and there may be
no operator to help you out). Or the telephone card you just
bought doesn't connect for days on end and then, bingo!
it works. Regular post might take weeks to arrive. The point
is, arm yourself with patience!
Unfamiliar food
If you just can't live without familiar name-brand or
processed food you may find yourself on a diet. One of the
best pieces of advice I can give is to learn to eat according
to the customs of the country where you are residing. This
might mean developing a taste for raw fish or hot spices,
but in the long run it will be cheaper and easier (and maybe
even healthier)! Remember, in great part, culture is cuisine.
Random service
Are you expecting to spend just an hour for lunch? What about
an extra 20-minutes just to pay the bill? What happens if
the people at the next table, who came in after you, get their
food before you have even ordered? While this is not always
the case, do not be surprised if local services require you
to wait longer than you are normally accustomed to. Be patient,
and go early if you wish to avoid rushing.
Resorting to body language when the new lingua is
not flowing
In most places around the world, you will be able to find
someone who speaks English - right? WRONG! Language is culture
and you will not penetrate beneath the tourist level of a
country until you do your best to learn to speak the language.
While you are learning the language, you will almost certainly
have an opportunity to play charades with the person at the
front desk to tell them about the hot water not working, or
with the doctor to tell her where it hurts.
Liberalism
In general, North America is heavily regulated - other countries
are not. This is one of their big advantages in many cases,
but there are some downsides. If second-hand smoke, scantily
clad girls loitering on your corner, or other differences
(such as customers entering restaurants with their pets) bother
you, then you may have some problems adapting. In some countries,
behaviour or dress that we think nothing of may be frowned
upon or even illegal. Learning to follow these new customs
will take some adjustment on your part.
One last word of advice: learn to trust yourself and your
own judgment. Just last week, we stopped a half-dozen times
to ask directions to our hotel in Spain. We were given, with
confidence, six entirely different answers and pointed to
every corner of the city. We finally found a map... and made
our way to the hotel ourselves. When things get tricky, often
you are the only person that you can rely on.
Jill Arcaro is a journalist and founder of BEST Language
Services in Madrid, Spain.
