Relocating can be an incredibly stressful activity. Even worse is relocating to another country entirely. Asides the physical stress associated with immigration, there is also the feeling of instability. If you do not have family in your destination country, the feeling might be overwhelming.
If you are a person of color or from a minority community, feelings of anxiety pertaining to acceptance might also arise. Considering that you are from the aforementioned communities, it is expected that the way of life might be vastly different and you will no doubt have to learn how to navigate it.
Culture shock can be defined as the feeling of confusion people feel when they newly move into a new country or society. Navigating culture shock cannot sometimes be stressful; however, there are ways around it. In this article, we will explore how to navigate culture shock in a manner that helps you acclimatize quickly.
Ways to navigate culture shock
- Familarize yourself with your environment: this is a very important step. If you are not comfortable in your new surroundings then you will continue to feel anxious when faced with new experiences. Get a feel of your surroundings. Take a walk, research online about the neighborhood and community as a whole, watch the local news; try to mentally register the names and faces of your immediate neighbors.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions: when in doubt, ask questions. This will save you a lot of trouble and headache especially while exploring your new terrain.
- Learn about your new country: This will go a long way in helping you ease in well with your new surroundings. If it isn’t an English speaking country, make attempts to learn the language. You might not get to expert level immediately but atleast you will be able to communicate with your peers.
- Maintain contacts with loved ones: Maintaining the familiarity that comes from interacting with friends and family back home, can help ease some of this feeling of anxiety you might feel as a new immigrant. Just knowing that you have support, should you need it, can be a significant mood booster for you.
- Domesticate your interactions: Make efforts to be comfortable in your new life. Accept the fact that your life has changed and it is your responsibility to make yourself at home, in your new environment.
Opportunities
- Applications are now open for Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp. The immersive virtual camp will give founders and developers from underrepresented communities mentorship, technical support and access to the alumni network. Apply by December 5.
- If your startup or innovation is focused on climate-smart agriculture practices, apply to the THRIVE|Shell Climate-Smart Agriculture Challenge for a chance to win $100,000, a spot in a prestigious accelerator, publicity and more. Apply by December 11.
- The Mindcapital Startup Bootcamp is open to early-stage tech startups who want to go from idea to problem–solution fit in one weekend. Selected startups will get a free three-day remote workshop where they will design value propositions and business models, and test business ideas. Apply now.