cultural adjustment – Page 36

When I did my exchange program in Chengdu, China, the one thing I was not expecting was the lack of sunshine. Of the time I was there during the summer, I had three days of blue skies. For the first couple weeks there this was not a problem. I was fully immersed in my language courses and enjoying my independence outside the states. As the first month finished, however, I began to feel mellow, and less bubbly than I had felt in my initial weeks. While I knew the “honeymoon” period of my program had worn off, this feeling was not homesickness or any sort of changed relationship with the people around me.

It took me awhile to figure out, but finally I realized what was wrong. I missed my Colorado sun.

Granted, a difference in weather was not what I had expected to encounter as a problem. The sun was a hazy red ball in the sky, and I could look at it without having to squint. The sky was always hazy, partly from pollution and partly from the region’s climate. I began to wish for Colorado skies and mountains, with dry, crisp air and weather that was sunny but still made me sweat less than I sweated here.

Luckily, I had one of my closest friends on the trip, and we were able to talk about this. It’s weird to miss the sun, and I was completely unprepared for it. After recognizing what was bothering me, I was able to address my problem and focus on my program and the time in the city. When I return to China this August, I am prepared for China’s weather and pollution. Recognizing a problem and realizing there are situations you will encounter abroad that are completely unexpected is one of the most important things a person can do when going abroad. Yes, there will be challenges, but how you respond to them determines how your experience is. For me, it helped especially to remember that I was going back to Colorado at the end of the summer, and that made me focus on my time abroad rather than dwell on the future. I also found it helpful to throw myself into a number of activities, from calligraphy lessons to jamming at karaoke bars after class.

All in all, my experience was more memorable because I was able to focus on it. Just remember, you will encounter problems while abroad. But by recognizing this, you have already taken the first step in overcoming them.

– Michelle Yeager, DUSA Student Staff

I guess as a kid I took for granted the fact that you kissed cheeks to say hello. My mom is Bolivian and I’m from Brazil, so kissing cheeks was the most natural thing in the world for me. When we moved to the US, I remember the shock on my first-grade teacher’s face when I leaned in to kiss her on the first day of class. That was when I realized that in the U.S., kissing strangers is just not ok!

When I studied abroad in Chile my junior year, it was fascinating to watch the Americans on my program have the opposite problem. Suddenly, they were being kissed by everyone and anyone they met! Men still preserve their macho reserve and only shake hands with other men (or they may give you a hug), but man-woman and woman-woman interactions ALWAYS start with a kiss (or maybe two, or even three!)

The “rules” for kissing will vary depending on which country you’re going to. Europe and the Middle East are famous for this too, and while rules in Europe may be similar to those in Latin America, in the the Middle East, men generally should NOT try to kiss any women, and any cheek kissing they participate in will likely be with other men. I can only really speak for Latin America and “Latin” Europe (France, Spain, Italy), so I thought I’d lay out some general ground rules for those regions:

Guys—be prepared to shake hands with other men and possibly a quick half-hug too, and make sure you look up the etiquette on how many kisses you should give women when you meet them (depending on if they’re single or married, this can change).

Girls—be prepared to be kissed by everyone! Men, women, children…they will all kiss you hello and goodbye.

While is some countries you don’t exchange kisses on the first meeting, in others you kiss once you’ve been introduced. Typically in a professional setting you won’t kiss your colleagues he first time you meet, but may be expected to kiss after that. In some countries people will actually kiss your cheeks, in others, it’s more of cheeks touching and “air kisses.” Just follow the lead of whoever you’re with!

One last pointer—I can’t speak for other regions, but at least in Latin America make sure you individually greet everyone in a room, and do the same when you leave. Waving hello or goodbye to the whole room is considered very rude.

Good luck, and enjoy all the smooching!

Stephanie Roberts, OIE Peer Advisor

Tag: cultural adjustment

Colorado Sunshine Withdrawals

Kissing Cheeks or Shaking Hands? Greetings Etiquette in Latin America and Beyond