When you study abroad, your daily routine, culture, and the attitudes of people around you are no longer familiar. The process of recognizing, understanding, and adapting to these changes is called culture shock. In a new country, we become more aware of these cultural subtleties because they are different from our norm. The best strategy for coping with the various impacts of culture shock is to make a conscious effort to adjust to the new culture. The first and probably the most important is that you can not go to a new country blindly. In our days there are many sources of which one can know about the culture, customs and procedures of the country. Often, language is a big barrier to people understanding each other clearly, and improving your language always helps. Read more about inter-cultural communication. Ask questions about new culture and don’t be afraid to talk about your own. If you don’t understand something or don’t feel understood, say so and explain how things are done in your own culture so that people will understand your difficulty. Allow yourself to see the funny side of misunderstandings and embarrassments. Laughter relieves stress. Join clubs and societies of people with similar interests. This will help you to feel less isolated and meet like-minded people.

Try to maintain a positive view of the changes you are experiencing. Multiculturalism offers us the opportunity, not just to learn about and experience other cultures, but also to see our own in a new way. Studying abroad is a life-changing experience that will give you new skills you will have for the rest of your life. There are many ways to cope with cultural shock. The only question is which way is right for a certain person.