Cultural adjustment

Task sheet

Here are some difficulties people encounter when living in a new country. Please indicate with a check (  ) how important each one has been for you.

	Of very great importance	Of great importance	Of some importance	Of no importance
1. Differences in the weather
2. Being away from the family.
3. Differences in the food.
4. Differences in the way people make friends.
5. Transportation problems.
6. Getting used to new ways of learning.
7. Adjusting to new ways of doing things, e.g. shopping.
8. Difficulties in communicating one’s ideas.
9. Different living conditions.
10. Different social customs.
11. Getting newspaper and magazines from home
12. Meeting people from the same country.
13. Knowing what to do in everyday situations.
14. Other (please specify)

Adapted from “NASA Exercise” in the Dynamics of Human Communication (A Laboratory Approach) Gail E. Myers and Michele Tolera Myers. From: A Manual of Structured Experiences for Cross-cultural Learning by Weebs, et al. Sietar-Intercultural Press.

Key to Step 4 - Survival Expert’s Ranking:

box of matches (15); food concentrate (4); 50 ft. nylon rope (6); parachute silk (8); portable heating unit (13); two 45 caliber pistols (11); one case dehydrated milk (12); two 100 lbs. tank of oxygen (1); stellar map (of moon’s constellation (3); life raft (9); magnetic compass (14); 5 gallons of water (2); signal flares (10); first aid kit with injection needles (7); solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter (5).

Celebrating holidays and special events

«Holidays often represent religious or patriotic events that most of the people in a country share in celebrating. In many countries, there is a state religion. The government and the religious leaders may work together to set political policies and decide on government actions.

In the United States, however, people believe in the separation of church and state. This means that the government may not interfere with or support matters relating to religion and religious institutions may not interfere in matters of government.

Because people living in the United States come from all over the world, they have learned to enjoy holidays that are part of other people’s cultures but not their own and to respect people’s right to worship in their own way. For example, most Americans, Christian or not, enjoy attending Christmas parties. They may also wear the customary green on St. Patrick’s Day even though they are not all Irish.»