The majority of people studying, working, or living in a new and different culture undergo cultural adjustment.
Adjustment is an on-going process demanded by one situation and then another.
Gregory Trivonovitch, a Researcher and Associate Director of the Culture Learning Institute at the East-West Center in Hawaii, has identified Four Stages of Cultural Adjustment which are normal and to be expected of human beings adjusting to a new and different culture. The honeymoon stage is characterized by exhilaration, anticipation, and excitement. Often recently arrived international students are fascinated with everything new. A student in the honeymoon stage will demonstrate an eagerness to please, a spirit of cooperation, and an active interest when others speak. BUT in their enthusiasm to please they frequently nod or smile to indicate understanding when in fact they have not understood.