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Have you ever experienced "culture shock"?

Weekly Topic: Have you ever experienced the so called "culture shock"?

Emily Chiasson

Culture shock is a feeling of surprise or shock when you experience something unfamiliar in a different country or culture.

I know that some people who travel to Canada are shocked by the cold winters! In my hometown, Calgary, winter temperatures can reach -40 degrees Celsius!! Also, people may be shocked to see that many Canadian people start wearing T-shirts or shorts when the weather is still only +5 degrees! After a long cold winter, even +5 feels warm to us.

As a Canadian currently living in Japan, I have also experienced culture shock before. 
One example is when I first came to Tokyo, the fast pace of everything was surprising to me! I often got lost in the crowds of people rushing somewhere, and I was just swept along with the wave of people. Also I began to care about being faster when paying for something or charging my train IC card so as not to hold up the line.

That was unfamiliar for me because in Canada the pace is generally a lot slower and easy going:
のんびりしてる. Also Canada is wide and spacious with a low population, so there usually aren't many crowds or long lines. 

I had to adjust the speed at which I do things to adapt to life in Tokyo!

Have you ever traveled or lived somewhere abroad, and if so, did you experience culture shock? 

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This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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