Culture Shock! Have you ever experience it?

[laolover88]

Missing something here!

What is "Culture Shock" exactly?? Can I experience it if I don't know what it is?

[Mudcrab]

Yeah,when i emigrated to Australia from the Uk,to find their culture was a tinny of beer and a meat pie,don't think i have ever fully recovered.

Marko..love your humor but you have no idea of the Australian culture,,, nor have a I, But I am fortunate to have , over my lifetime to have a peek into a world that is over 50,000 years old...and it has been wonderful.

Ever seen the Mantra Rays jumping out of the water at Dalywoi bay at sunset with a couple of mates? Didn't think so.

Experience a full on funeral?? In Arnhem land?

Ever get to meet Mandaway Yinupingu? Sadly he has passed away now. Wrote some great songs for Yothu Yondi...try you tube

Don't shit on Aussie culture when you have no idea what it is....and the same logic can be applied to the Europeans who shit on Thai culture or their perceived lack of

The same applies to Thailand....what we see now is what we see now.....there is a very deep cultural heritage alive and well away from the tourist traps that only the fortunate will see.

The fortunate who can see will see. Not the blind who can only look.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Mudcrab

[uthaithanirules]

Reverse culture shock set in early, I hate my home country

Australia, a ridiculous amount of bureacracy in many areas which just translates into inflating the cost of...well...everything

[MiKT]

I have lived and worked in 14 different countries and visited a lot more, but the only time I experienced l real culture shock was moving to Singapore in the mid 8o's after 7 years in Hong Kong.

Things are a lot better now in Singapore (and a lot worse in HK) but in those days, it was a real shock as I loved HK from the first day and got on so well with the Cantonese people, I was horrified in Singapore at first as I found many people very hostile.

20 Years in Thailand has not changed my opinion and now I don't think I will have a problem anywhere.

I must admit my Thai wife does not like Singapore at all, even after a few visits, but does like HK.

Possibly the only other case of culture shock I have experienced was living in Glasgow in the late 60's, but that was more of a language problem, I could not understand anybody for about 3 months.

I think I suffered from reverse culture shock after not going back to the UK once for 12 years. Then again to a lesser extent after another 12 year stint away, but with odd visits back. But that was more of ageing shock, all the people looked far to young to be doing sensible jobs, like police, doctors, etc.

The change in British police from the bobby on the beat still in the 70's and even the 80's to the modern robo-cops loaded down with guns and "technology" has been a real culture shock.

Edited April 23, 2016 by MiKT

[smotherb]

I believe ex-military can adjust much better from worldwide travel, military training and conditioning. However, there is always a learning curve and mistakes made. The more questions a person asks from expats with many years of experience helps a lot.

Really? Most military know very little about the cultures of the countries in which they live, work, or fight--for the most part they work with others from their own country; they live with others from their own country; they eat, drink, and shop at facilities which provide goods from their own country; and they enjoy recreation and entertainment from their own country. To a lesser degree, the same may be said for government workers or workers of large corporations overseas; they too live in their little "own country" compounds, enjoying their own country imports. To really know a country and its cultures, you need to live on that economy, in and among the local people, learn the language, and assimilate.

[dotpoom]

I certainly had a culture shock when I got here 15 years ago...am still in the middle of it....thanks be to God. Why would I wish to go back to the "rat race" culture I came from? Unlike yourself, my observations are more positive, most Farangs I know that live here wouldn't change things for the world.

[smotherb]

Missing something here!

What is "Culture Shock" exactly?? Can I experience it if I don't know what it is?

If you are serious, culture shock refers to not understanding or not being able to cope with the behavior of the locals in a foreign country. Reverse culture shock implies you have been away from your country long enough that your values have changed to the point that you no longer understand or are able to cope with the behavior of the people from your own country.

[canuckamuck]

I am horrified at human culture wherever I go. Not much sanity left and those who are sane are considered odd.

[marko kok prong]

Yeah,when i emigrated to Australia from the Uk,to find their culture was a tinny of beer and a meat pie,don't think i have ever fully recovered.

Marko..love your humor but you have no idea of the Australian culture,,, nor have a I, But I am fortunate to have , over my lifetime to have a peek into a world that is over 50,000 years old...and it has been wonderful.

Ever seen the Mantra Rays jumping out of the water at Dalywoi bay at sunset with a couple of mates? Didn't think so.

Experience a full on funeral?? In Arnhem land?

Ever get to meet Mandaway Yinupingu? Sadly he has passed away now. Wrote some great songs for Yothu Yondi...try you tube

Don't shit on Aussie culture when you have no idea what it is....and the same logic can be applied to the Europeans who shit on Thai culture or their perceived lack of

The same applies to Thailand....what we see now is what we see now.....there is a very deep cultural heritage alive and well away from the tourist traps that only the fortunate will see.

The fortunate who can see will see. Not the blind who can only look.

Mate,i was actually being a bit tongue in cheek,to me Australia is the best country in the world,if people ask my nationality i say Australian,not British,don't know so much about the Aboriginal culture,but Yothu Yindi a great band. The best thing about Australian culture is the Mateship,if you have a problem like a car breakdown for example you will always find someone stop to help,also the easy going nature of the people,i would like to go back really,but i have some issue's with my ex which makes it difficult.

[kannot]

I am horrified at human culture wherever I go. Not much sanity left and those who are sane are considered odd.

Aint that the truth!!

[Gonsalviz]

Definitely YES!! every time I go back to north america

Hopefully I won't have to do that again.

[Nowisee]

Maybe you've just accepted all that you will ever have here and what you won't have by living some place else. If this place suits your life ambitions and fulfills your needs, live on and enjoy your phases... 555

[Lannig]

The only real, strong culture shock I've experienced in Thailand was during the funeral of a small boy from the neighborhood who had lost his young life in a bike accident while riding with his father (father only slightly injured).

I knew him quite well, he was good friends with another boy from my own family so he was around quite a lot. Nice kid, happy temper, easy and well-mannered. I really liked him.

I was completely devastated and couldn't hold my tears on many occasions during the (very, VERY long, WAY too long) funeral and I was discretely told by an old lady that this wasn't considered as "appropriate". Tough, really. Just as was seeing people drinking, laughing and playing cards during the wake. It took me enormous efforts not to leave and go cry on my own but I felt that I really was expected to stay, being close to this family. I'm not a religious guy either so I was uncomfortable with this endless ceremony to begin with, but that's a different topic.

Sorry that's not a fun story... it was over 15 years ago but still is a painful memory.

Edited April 25, 2016 by Lannig

[sanukjim]

I believe ex-military can adjust much better from worldwide travel, military training and conditioning. However, there is always a learning curve and mistakes made. The more questions a person asks from expats with many years of experience helps a lot.

What do you mean?

Like going to exotic places,meeting interesting people...and killing them??

That helps??

Not killing all of them,as you got to leave some for seed.

[dick dasterdly]

The only real, strong culture shock I've experienced in Thailand was during the funeral of a small boy from the neighborhood who had lost his young life in a bike accident while riding with his father (father only slightly injured).

I knew him quite well, he was good friends with another boy from my own family so he was around quite a lot. Nice kid, happy temper, easy and well-mannered. I really liked him.

I was completely devastated and couldn't hold my tears on many occasions during the (very, VERY long, WAY too long) funeral and I was discretely told by an old lady that this wasn't considered as "appropriate". Tough, really. Just as was seeing people drinking, laughing and playing cards during the wake. It took me enormous efforts not to leave and go cry on my own but I felt that I really was expected to stay, being close to this family. I'm not a religious guy either so I was uncomfortable with this endless ceremony to begin with, but that's a different topic.

Sorry that's not a fun story... it was over 15 years ago but still is a painful memory.

Good point. My first culture shock here was positive when I walked to a mom and pop shop for a 'phone card. The lady didn't stock them, but insisted on taking me (on the back of her 'bike) to a 'phone shop - and then back home! Amazingly lovely lady.

It was a couple of months later that I experienced my first negative culture shock when the lady next door (English husband only coming here for holidays, but paying for everything) came round to my house to tell me me how opulent and impressive her father's funeral had been - with a 'photo album in support....

She came out with a couple of other (un-related) things that left my jaw hanging open in disbelief - which was a shame as I'd thought her a nice person up until then and was happy to chat with her. After that, I hid indoors whenever she came into view .

I'd been warned, but didn't believe it until the 'greed is good' attitude was proven to me personally.

But its too easy to forget that there are also really lovely Thais out there too - we have a nasty habit of remembering the bad, rather than the good - and I have many v bad and v good stories.

[Lannig]

Just to clarify: I wasn't implying that this cultural shock I had experienced during this very sad event was negative (or positve whatsoever).

It was just a culture shock. I don't judge these people who were drinking and having fun during the funeral. That's the way it goes in Thailand. I just could hardly stand it because it was going so far against my own culture and feelings at that time, but that's it.

[dick dasterdly]

Just to clarify: I wasn't implying that this cultural shock I had experienced during this very sad event was negative (or positve whatsoever).

It was just a culture shock. I don't judge these people who were drinking and having fun during the funeral. That's the way it goes in Thailand. I just could hardly stand it because it was going so far against my own culture and feelings at that time, but that's it.

I understand and wouldn't even classify that as a strong culture shock. When my grandfather died (back in the UK and my first 'death') I was shocked at how everybody was laughing and joking whilst I was devastated. Funny stories about grandfather, and distant family getting to see others for the first time in many years.

My grandmother saw my upset and took me aside to explain this. Its not my personality to be able to carry on life as normal at funerals, but most people are less emotional.

[Dancealot]

I think you experience only a "shock" if you call it that way. I embrace the Thai culture especially at funerals: I think it's fantastic that a death is celebrated and mourned at the same time. There's more involvement and engagement then in European funerals.

[Lannig]

Well, it was a shock because I couldn't embrace it at that time, precisely. But I get your point.