• By Editorial Team
• May 23, 2024

It is no longer news that Nigerian students are pouring into foreign institutions in their numbers.  Almost every Nigerian graduates nurse the ambition of doing their postgraduate studies abroad.

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You also have that ambition otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article at this time. Studying abroad has a lot of downsides and a major one is the culture shock. Culture shock is defined as a condition of disorientation that happens to a person who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar or strange way of life. This condition exists and is considered very serious, in fact most foreign institutions have experts employed solely to help foreign students overcome Culture shock.

Leaving home and traveling to study in a foreign country could be a very stressful experience, this could occur even after you’ve planned and prepared for this experience all your life, so do not be surprised when you face the impact of this. It is normal to experience this; it shows you are only human. It is however important to handle it the right way when it happens.

In an article published by the University of Washington, several factors were listed as contributors to culture shock. They include:

• Climate
•  Language
• Social roles
•  Rules of behavior
• Values
•  Relationship stress

We will now discuss these factors one after the other

• Climate

The climate and weather condition of foreign countries a widely different from that of Nigeria. Winter months are extremely cold that you would almost think getting warm is impossible, and then the summers could be so hot and humid that it’s almost affecting your health. These are conditions that your mind and body is not used to and it would take some time to adjust to it

• Language

Learning to speak and write in a new language is extremely tiring, unless you are especially talented, you would have to work extra hard and consistently to be fluent in it. You would often find it difficult to understand what is being said in the class, you’d also find it difficult to communicate effectively with your classmates.  Even for English speaking countries, you still find it’s difficult because the intonation and accents defer. These are big adjustments to make and could contribute to culture shock.

• Social roles

Social behavior and times differ in foreign countries. Even here in Nigeria where we have multi-ethnic groups, you’d find that social behavior differs. For example, life is moves at a faster pace in Lagos than in somewhere like kogi. The difference is however on a large scale abroad, Public display of affection is a common social behavior in the US than in Nigeria. The first time you see a man kissing another man in the US could throw you such a strong curve ball.

• Rules of behavior

Unfortunately most of these rules are not something you can learn by heart, they are mostly unwritten and you’d just have to learn it by experience. In the US for example, they do almost everything by scheduling, you can just up and go do something as simple and getting a hair cut in a barbing salon with out making an appointment, you won’t be attended to and if you do make an appointment and go late, you may not be attended to and you’d still be expected to pay full price for the hair cut you didn’t have.

• Values

As you continue with your study and stay abroad you’d soon come to realize that it is not just the material aspect of the culture that is different, there is also a difference in mindset, ideas and values, And some of the deep rooted values are not shared by people. You may have to take time to learn the values while not being judgmental. With time you’d get to understand, the difference in values and adjust yourself

• Relationship stress

This could happen either not you travel with your spouse. When you are the one traveling to do the study and your scholarship gives room for your spouse to travel with you, he/she may find it difficult to manage the transition well and settle in, she/ he is there with out a job, friend or family member, this would most definitely cause you some stress.

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And if your partner is stays back in Nigeria while you travel, there is the possibility of communication snafus for long distance relationships is difficult to manage 

Having explained the factors that contribute to culture shock, what then can be done to handle it?

• The first thing to note is that, culture shock is perfectly normal, and most times inevitable, so it has nothing to do with you being weak or not being smart. You must also know that culture shock is not permanent, if you handle the symptoms well; you’d get through it successful. This is the first step to overcoming culture shock.
• Researchers have found that connecting with people with whom you share the same value helps a lot. So find support in religious groups of you are the religious type, connect with other students from Nigeria, those that have been there before you would be able to help you out and reduce the stress of culture shock
• Seek professional help. It is okay to acknowledge you need help and to seek for it. Many educational institutions have a counseling unit and I’m sure your school would also have one and most times they offer their services to students free of charge.
• Immerse yourself into your new life. Find the things you like and enjoy doing and do them as often as you can. For example, you could find a lot of joy and satisfaction in tasting and learning to cook new dishes if that the kind of thing you like, you could also go out for sight seeing, I’m sure there are a lot of sights to see

It’s important to note that, you could also experience what is called re-entry shock upon your return to Nigeria. This means that you may eventually settle into your new life and adjust to the extent that the culture you’ve known before you left Nigeria becomes strange or unfamiliar so that upon your return to the country you experience something related with culture shock.

When that time comes you will find a way to cope until you adjust, the human body is capable of adapting to even the most adverse condition.

• Culture Shock,
• Study Abroad,