Culture Shock

An interesting topic from chapter 12, which I can very much relate to, is "Cultural Anxiety and Withdrawal" (p. 340). I moved to live in the U.S. 12 years ago and through the years I went through few brief periods of culture shock that largely resembled Youg Yun Kim's "draw-back-to-leap model". At these period times, I felt as an absolute stranger; I missed the language and the culture that I was so used to back at home. I missed the unique interaction and communication that I experienced while I was growing up. I lost confidence in myself, in my ability to function the way that the new culture requires me. It was almost as if I didn't know who I was anymore, and I felt that the only way I will be able to be myself again is by going back to where I was from, to where I felt that I belong.

The last time I felt this way was about three years ago; at that time the culture shock I experienced was sever and it lasted almost a year. I felt that the differences between the two cultures were so extreme that there was no single person in this new culture thatc could truly understand me. Even more, I felt that my inability to understand others put me in a major risk. I was very helpless and lonely. It took a year of counseling to bring me back on my feet and to gain the confidence to face the challenges.