In some ways it’s difficult to believe that my full-academic-year sabbatical to Perth Australia is a little over halfway finished. Back in Bloomington people are shoveling out from under snow storms and fighting against below-freezing temperatures on their way to create 2nd semester syllabi while I am here in the middle of the Southern-hemisphere’s summer months spending the mornings going to a variety of beaches and then coming home and firing up the AC. And before I knew it, it’s half over!
But, in other ways, I must admit that I am really struggling with the fact that I have 16 weeks and 3 days left until I get on a plane to head to SeaTac airport. There are parts of the trip that have been really HARD. Of course, some of the struggles have been due to crappy circumstances such as having our apartment broken into. But, there are other things…more deep-seeded and psychological things….that I’ve struggled with since arriving in August. I’m talking about CULTURE SHOCK!
About a year ago we pretty much knew that we’d be coming to Perth for a sabbatical. In order to prepare we checked out a number of books from the Monroe Count Public Library about the country. And, we even bought a few of them. One that we purchased was part of the Culture Wise series: Culture-wise Australia.
We found Culture Wise to be very useful as we prepared to enter a new adventure. But, honestly, much of it was skimmed over because I had no way to put it into context. So, I thought it might be interesting to re-read it now that we’ve spent half our time in the new culture. Interesting indeed. Within the first 5 pages it talks about the phenomenon of culture shock. And I can remember that when I read it in Bloomington I skimmed over it thinking that it was just boilerplate they put in all their books. “This won’t apply to us…Australia is an English-speaking country…I know people there…how hard could it be?” In hindsight, as I read the first few pages of Culture Wise, it was unbelievable how the stages of my emotional life over the past 4 months were right there in black-and-white. [And as I researched Culture Shock...it turns out to be a well-known set of stages].
Stage 1: Honeymoon Stage.
This usually lasts for a few days to a few weeks. According to Culture Wise this is “when a newcomer finds everything an exciting and interesting novely.” I will never forget the day in last July when I was sitting at an outside table at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Bloomington with my friend Bryant Paul and his family when I received a call from my wife–who had moved to Australia about 6 weeks before I did. She sounded enchanted ! Even though it was right after about a 30-hour travelling trek…she was telling me how blue the skies were and how friendly the people were. Subsequent skype calls were equally filled with descriptions of the beaches and the birds and the schools and all the things that were new and different and wonderful.
And don’t let me suggest that she was the only one who experienced that. When *I* arrived at the end of August I was jet lagged and rather twisted around by several immediate work responsibilities that were thrusted upon me…but the place was fantastic! The wildflowers were a vibrant colors that I’d never seen before. The birds made noises that I’d never heard before. The sports were even incredible. It was fantastic. Check out this gushing blog post that I wrote after being here for a month.
The thought was that I’d do whatever I could to spend the rest of my days in this paradise.
Stage 2: Rejection or Distress Stage.
And then…the pendulum swung. And man, did it swing hard. This is the part that I didn’t expect…I mean, “they speak English, right? How hard can it be. Let me tell you, it can be mighty hard. Nothing was familiar. Work was different and not quite what I expected. The exotic and cosmopolitan feel of the people and the accents just seemed hard to understand and frustrating. As Culture Wise described so nicely, I experienced a “general feeling of disorientation, confusion, and lonliness.” There weren’t many friends that I could talk to. My grad students were so far away and needed guidance on work that I was interested in and couldn’t be a part of. I missed the NFL. I missed Halloween. I missed Thanksgiving. Home was certainly “irrationally glorified.”
It didn’t help that it was around this time that my son and I had minor little health issues of a lovely variety–pinworms, head lice, unidentifiable eye infections–lovely ailments that were all attributed to “getting used to a new system.” But, they required multiple visits to the doctor…which isn’t even called the doctor here, but the GP–for General Practitioner –and more things were different. Pharmasists? Oh, I mean chemists…don’t get me started. Things that are normally over-the-counter you have to ask for here.
And then, we got robbed. Cops…forensics…buying rental insurance (a little too late, but at least NOW we’re covered)….home alarms and laptop cable locks. Plus, a general distrust of everybody.
Differences in the kids’ schools that used to be viewed as good things were now just annoying and punative.
Stage 3: The Flight Stage.
This is a stage that many of the other sources don’t mention as a part of Culture Shock…but Culture Wise does and perhaps that’s why my wife and I have experienced it…power of suggestion and all. But right around the middle of December we both just wanted to get the heck outta town. Even though we were able to point to the beauty of the area and the adventures we’ve experienced, we just wanted to cut and run. We investigated the date of our return air tickets…and even wondered if we could last until May 12. We wanted our adventure to be over…we had proven we could do it. Enough was enough. According to Culture Wise: “Even simple tasks like shopping can be fraught with difficulties, and the fact that the local people are largely indifferent to all these problems only makes matters worse.” Yeah, you got it! And, to make matters worse, the two of us were experiencing this stage at the same time. So, rather than one being down and the other able to encourage…we were packing each other’s bags! Everything that went wrong was an indictment of the country rather than an indiosyncracy of the situation.
Honestly, we both are currently somewhere between this stage and the next.
Stage 4: Recovery or Autonomy.
There are days when I feel like I’ve entered Stage 4…which according to Culture Wise “…you have largely adjusted to the new culture, and start to feel more at home and familiar with the country and your place in it, and begin to realize that it has its good as well as bad points.” Days are more typical. I’ve caught myself making strong statements against the country when circumstances go wrong…and instread realize that difficulties happen any-and-everywhere. Australia is a great country filled with WONDERFUL people and gorgeous scenery. And, I’m adjusting to it.
But, then there are days when I want to catch the soonest plane. Slowly, though, I’m edging into the Autonomous stage…and I’m stressing more and more about Stage 5. I don’t want to underestimate its power or liklihood in the same way I did the phenomenon itself.
Stage 5: Reverse Culture Shock.
Things have changed in Bloomington. The campus, my students, my colleagues and friends have all had a year’s worth of growth and experiences just like I have. My kids’ friends…the city….the campus…even my dog will have all moved-on, to a certain extent. US culture is faster, the commerce is bigger, and my work schedule will certainly be more pressure-filled than it has this year. And so, although I want to believe that I will feel a sense of relief when I’m finally home in my own house…I truly don’t know what to expect.
This has been a 10-month-long exercise in trying to live “one day at a time.” Just enjoying everything that this culture has to provide. And, along the way, I have learned that culture shock can happen even in cultures where you don’t think there are many differences.
Tagged as:
Adventure,
Australia,
Change,
Travel
