That Culture Shock

I caught a really bad cold last week and have been trying to rest and get through it! Korea is so cold, I was surprised to get sick from it. I don't normally get sick from the cold in Hawaii... Regardless, must take better care of myself!

But as mentioned earlier, I wanted to write a post on my experience through culture shock in Korea. And how others people can cope and maybe learn from what I dealt with!

Anyways, before coming to Korea, people told me about culture shock and how to cope with it. I was so excited to go to Korea, I thought I'd be one of the last people to deal with culture shock then. I didn't really realize that I was going through culture shock until my friend confronted me about it actually. He had been going through the same thing while our other two friends were completely fine. I had gotten sick a few days before going to Korea. Pretty much the 24-hour flu. A lot of people thought that it started to be nerves and such, and I think now, I can say that they were probably right. I couldn't eat and I started to become really stressed when people tried to talk to me about Korea. I was almost scared to leave already.

Upon my arrival to Korea, I became very distant from the idea of me being in Korea. I was almost more so comfortable just staying in the international dorms where I knew I could communicate with people in English at least. I think the language barrier could've been my biggest obstacle to overcome. I realized that a lot of things weren't as English-friendly as I had thought, so it sort of brought a bit of stress to me.

The first few days were definitely a transition, but slowly I was more willing to go out and do more things with friends. I realized that I really wouldn't be able to accomplish anything if I didn't try and cope with the issues I had. Over time then, I was able to get the hang of things and started to become much more comfortable here! Most importantly, my appetite started to come back, haha.

So what's my recommendation to cope with this transition to a new country? Be very open to learning and experiencing something new. You may be put out of your comfort zone for a bit, but this open-mindedness definitely helps you to become more comfortable in another country! You're more willing to try things, and then can really get a taste of the country and its culture.

Don't be afraid though! You're not the only one going through this transition, and I think friends and meeting people can definitely help too. You guys can be there for each and work together to get to know the area. Just remember to have fun in whichever country you may choose to study or live in! It really is a blessing and quite a special experience to have and remember.