Nice analysis. I feel relief, more than anything else, at the remoteness of my family; indifference at the remoteness of my friends. To be honest, I don’t really understand the question in the original post. Adjust to what, exactly?
Nice analysis. I feel relief, more than anything else, at the remoteness of my family; indifference at the remoteness of my friends. To be honest, I don’t really understand the question in the original post. Adjust to what, exactly?[/quote]
The question is how long did it take to adjust to living in another culture, which is legit. Living abroad isn’t for everyone although I think everyone should try it. It’s a wise question to ask before jumping in, as it’s a costly move and one that can benefit you as long as you educate yourself about what you will need to do to be successful.
Absolutely it’s a legitimate question for some. I would never recommend independent travel to many of my friends back home.
If you “need” your family, stay with them, at home.
I feel no superiority through my independence. Rather, I tend to feel nothing . . .
And therefore isolation. I’m not making any value judgements. Do whatever makes you happy. I simply don’t understand “adjusting” to another culture.
[quote=“Thelonlieste”]Absolutely it’s a legitimate question for some. I would never recommend independent travel to many of my friends back home.
If you “need” your family, stay with them, at home.
I feel no superiority through my independence. Rather, I tend to feel nothing . . .
And therefore isolation. I’m not making any value judgements. Do whatever makes you happy. I simply don’t understand “adjusting” to another culture.[/quote]
Sure some people should stay at home if they “need” their family, but how about helping understand that need can be fulfilled as they travel? One can be close to their family via Skype, email, IM. The OP has lived abroad before but Asia ain’t Ireland and s/he is wise to ask.
And what don’t you understand about “adjusting” to another culture. Perhaps you’re looking at this from your point of view, which may be that you are at ease with people from various backgrounds so poof it’s easy. But for many, many people having to deal with others who aren’t like them is a huge shock. Unfortunately.
You must also keep in mind that Taiwan is arguably the most western place in Asia, unless you count Australia. Culturally, it’s just about the easiest adjust most westerners will have in Asia. This is likely because Taiwanese people are so laid back about most things, and because they see us as so different that they don’t even expect us to act in any “normal” ways–whatever a foreigner does is different to them, so pretty much anything goes as long as no one is hurt and temples aren’t pissed on. This is all generalization, I realize.
The only things I had to adjust to, really, were respectful students (well most of the older ones, anyway), a boss that always bought me coffee at the beginning of classes, earning about three times what my Taiwanese friends did and having even fewer expenses than they did (I had almost free housing most of the time).
Yes, sometimes I ran into some haters, but mostly people went out of their way to be nice to me.
I had much more culture shock in Japan where “polite” society is not too different than here in the South and people will sometimes smile at you kindly while they twist the blade they’ve just slipped into your back. And I LOVE Japanese culture! I was president of the Japanese club in University, had studied the language, and had roomed with a Japanese girl for a year–she was like a sister. But adjusting to Japan was no easy task and I began to feel like a bull in a china shop making one faux pas after another. In fact, I’ve been tempted to go back to Japan after I graduate because I like it and miss it, but I don’t want to have to deal with the culture shock again.
I’m sure I knew less about Taiwan than about Japan when I first went–surely had fewer language skills–but Taiwan was a piece of cake.
I wasn’t trolling, but I was expecting at least one strenuously opposed response. Thus far, nada.
Nice analysis. I feel relief, more than anything else, at the remoteness of my family; indifference at the remoteness of my friends. To be honest, I don’t really understand the question in the original post. Adjust to what, exactly?[/quote]
I’m not a psychologist, but I play one on TV.
When the topic of “adjusting” came up, it wasn’t about getting The Vapors (interesting double entendre - the song “Turning Japanese” versus depression from culture shock). It was more about how willing people are to deal with the fact they are in a foreign country and must deal with living it 24/7.
dailymotion.com/video/x1kweo … e_creation
Some people can’t handle it and become basket cases, some get cabin fever, and some act like it’s a prison as if they’re living in walls 24/7. To continue with my explanation, those who have only a small circle of friends and are not close to their own families, adjusting to life in another country isn’t as big a change as it is for others.
Speaking only from personal observation, some of the worst cases of culture shock happen to the most outgoing people, while introverts handle it better than most.
[quote=“Sleepyhead”]
Some people can’t handle it and become basket cases, some get cabin fever, and some act like it’s a prison as if they’re living in walls 24/7. To continue with my explanation, those who have only a small circle of friends and are not close to their own families, adjusting to life in another country isn’t as big a change as it is for others.
Speaking only from personal observation, some of the worst cases of culture shock happen to the most outgoing people, while introverts handle it better than most.[/quote]
I am close with my family but I have always only had a small circle of friends. I’m the one at parties that sits there quietly looking like a snob, until I have a few drinks and warm up. 
Very much an introvert. I think the first month may be very difficult but I’m hoping that I won’t crack;)
I think I need to be alone…away from everyone for awhile. I feel a nervous sense of foreboding but that’s probably because this is such a drastic change.
I think your culture shock and the length of your adjustment depend on you and your reason for leaving.
As for me, I don’t know if I ever experienced culture shock. When I first came here, I was in search of the new and the different. I was close with my family and I had a pretty large circle of friends, but the friends were for the large part destructive(we drank a lot and smoked a lot of weed) and best loved from afar. I always enjoyed the daily firsts for those first few months.
After about six months, I got a little pissy when people stared at me funny. Occasionally, I still do, but I’ve learned to live with it and pass it off as just the ignorance that comes with living in a mono-cultural society.
It’s true that the locals are somewhat laid back in the sense that pretty much anything goes. Some foreigners make complete asses of themselves here and it doesn’t seem to shock anyone.
[quote=“Skyfae”][quote=“Sleepyhead”]
Some people can’t handle it and become basket cases, some get cabin fever, and some act like it’s a prison as if they’re living in walls 24/7. To continue with my explanation, those who have only a small circle of friends and are not close to their own families, adjusting to life in another country isn’t as big a change as it is for others.
Speaking only from personal observation, some of the worst cases of culture shock happen to the most outgoing people, while introverts handle it better than most.[/quote]
I am close with my family but I have always only had a small circle of friends. I’m the one at parties that sits there quietly looking like a snob, until I have a few drinks and warm up.
Very much an introvert. I think the first month may be very difficult but I’m hoping that I won’t crack;)
I think I need to be alone…away from everyone for awhile. I feel a nervous sense of foreboding but that’s probably because this is such a drastic change.[/quote]
I think it’s actually way cooler going to a small place at first. You get forced to deal with some completely new and interesting things.
I arrived here during Chinese New Year, and it was impossible to find an apartment, so my boss got me an empty breakfast shop. My only door/window was one of those big, silver slide-up doors right on the street. If it was closed, it was so stuffy inside, so I quickly got used to watching TV at night with the people walking past and staring in at me. I only had a bed with no covers, a TV, and one chair.
There’s an opening under those sliding door, so I was living covered in cockroaches. One morning, I counted more than 50 dead roaches after I had sprayed under the door. I also only had NT$5000 when I first arrived, and I only got paid after working for a month. I lived on about one tub of instant noodles a day!
However, I had a great time, made friends with everybody in the night market right outside my door, got introduced to betel nut and whisbie, had to learn to speak a bit of Chinese, walked to a million places because I couldn’t afford the bus, etc. etc.
Way better than getting the cushy Taipei experience first.
The only bad part was that I didn’t have internet or phone and could only communicate with home by fax every now and then (too expensive).
I’ve been here for eight years now, and it has still not stopped being an excellent place.
Sigh. :lovestruck:
wow whata story. talk bout going in on the ground floor.