When you place yourself in a foreign environment, you throw all of these privileges out the window. You're going to have to relearn all of these seemingly mindless tasks that you had grown so comfortable doing and using. People are going to speak and act very different from what you have come to expect from your fellow Americans. Yes, they can be painful and disorienting, but yes, they will go away with time, we promise you. Try to always keep in mind that what you are feeling is normal, and that all of your fellow Broncos abroad are probably going through pretty much the same thing.
Culture shock manifests itself in a series of stages.
We provide them here simply as possible answers for puzzling feelings and emotions that you may experience while overseas. Initial Euphoria Hardly recovered from jet lag and travel fatigue, you will soon be busy with registration, interviews, orientation, tours, parties, and getting acquainted with your hosts and peers. At this point, you are most likely to notice similarities and assume that people are basically alike everywhere. This stage can last from two weeks to two months, but it invariably ends. As the differences become apparent and perhaps some difficulties are encountered, discomfort sets in and you may find yourself becoming irritable, developing various physical ailments, suffer withdrawal, watch T.V rather than study, or exhibit other signs of being troubled.