Cultural Shock

Picture taken by me: Trip to San Diego, CA from Minneapolis MN

I migrated to the United States of America from Ghana at the age of 14. It was a windy and chilly Monday morning when I walked into the hallways of Kennedy High School, to witness each student in their personal space and desk taking notes as the teacher lectured. As I walked into my assigned seat, I remember feeling very uncomfortable; I’ve been conditioned to sit in groups back home in Ghana. I remember refusing to sit in my personal seat as the teacher pointed at my chair. With my body language, I refused to sit. The teacher disregarded my defense and told me to “sit down or go to the principal’s office for disrupting class.”

This encounter scarred me for life because I was forced to be by myself. Ever since then, I have isolated myself.

What is cultural shock you may ask?

“A feeling of anxiety and disorientation that occurs when an individual encounters an unfamiliar culture.”

Never in my life did I think that I had to act a certain way according to my location or country. It is ignorant for an individual to tell another person or a group of people to limit their identity just to fit in the norms of the country or community. This can cause the individual or group to have conflict with their congruent and incongruent selves. My experiences with cultural shock in the United States negatively impacted my life and I’m here to let you know that you DON’T have to “act American if you’re in America.”

Cultural shock might not have a cure, but there are certain procedures individuals can take to make everyone feel welcomed. In an article called Cultural Shock and Adaptation, Michael Winkelman talks about the stages/phases and adaptation of cultural shock.

The four stages/phases include:

1. the honeymoon or tourist phase,
2. the crises or cultural shock,
3. the adjustment, reorientation, and gradual recovery phase, and
4. the adaptation, resolution or acculturation phase.

The article concluded that there is no cure to cultural shock, but rather it requires “an individual plan that selects among maintenance behaviors, adjustments, and adaptations, depending on personal circumstance.” More here.

Coming to America has made me realized that my experience fits in the second phase: the crises or cultural shock. I grew up in the capital of Ghana, Accra. Accra is more like a rural area — I was used to seeing nothing but palm trees, warm weather, rich diversity, a loud and busy environment, rich cultural lifestyles. You never had to worry about transportation to your nearest destination. On my first week here in the Minnesota, USA, I felt out of place and different from everyone else. I remember being welcomed with extremely cold weather, seeing less diversity (a lot caucasian people), and fluffy cotton (snow) as I stepped out of the plane. Through attending high school here in the U.S, I was able to understand the cultural difference in the U.S compared to that of Ghana. The author mentioned that in this stage, which is the crisis or the cultural shock stage. Individuals or groups tend to “feel helpless, confused or treated as a child.”

Pic taken by me: Palm trees in San Diego, CA

After a few months in the United States, I found myself assimilating to the American culture. I found myself going shopping to find outfits that screamed “I’m African but I’m dressed like an American.” I’m speaking of wearing jeans, sweaters, boots, and massive coats. The author called this the adjustment and reorientation phase. In this phase, individuals or groups start to feel a little bit at home because you start to slowly but surely adapt to the environment and the culture. Indeed, I struggled with learning to adapt effectively to the new cultural environment. Trying to figure out the culture imbalance in my school and social areas was triggering for me. This is because I was forced to fake my cultural identity whenever I was exposed to people that didn’t look like me (i.e., white people). By faking, I mean having to speak “proper English” and neglecting my accent and replace my African prints clothes with oversized sweatshirts and brand name jeans just to fit in.

Moving to Winona helped me to feel at home as well as feel present and engaged with the community. Fast forward four years, I transitioned to college in Winona. The atmosphere in Winona felt more like back home in Ghana. I learned that I felt welcomed in Winona because everyone is living in harmony of the group and tends to do almost everything together as a group.

There are people in America and in other countries where they are forced to leave their cultural orientation and ethnic identity just to fit in. A prime example is when immigrants migrate to the United States and they feel pressured to integrate into the “American culture.” I had someone tell me “if you’re in America, act American.” How does that statement not let a fifteen year old African girl feel terrified about her life? How can you look into the eyes of an innocent being and tell her to forget her true identity just to make you make yourself feel better? This goes to show that the society we live in can judge an individual or group of people based on their race, sexual orientation, gender, religion etc. I’ve learned to educate myself about other cultures as well as maintain my original culture. Winkelman calls this the adaptation, resolution or acculturation stage. Individuals and or groups tend to feel like they’ve “successfully resolved problems and develop stable adaptation on how to manage new culture.” If I’m learning about the American culture what’s the hard part about you learning about my culture?

To conclude, learning about the difference between individualistic and collectivist cultures shows an individual that he or she can work by themselves or as a team to embrace each other’s cultural differences, learn more about themselves as well as accept each other for who they are. And if you can’t accept me for who I am then forget about me because I’m not denying my African identity to fit in your “American culture.”