Culture Shock!
After
living in the Czech for a few weeks and traveling to other places during this
time, I have definitely noticed some cultural differences compared to
Nebraska. I wouldn’t exactly say that I
have experienced major culture shock per se, because I always try to keep an
open mind when traveling and take what comes my way in a positive
attitude. There hasn’t been anything so
far that has just been a big shock to my system. However, I do believe if I had
not studied abroad before this in Costa Rica, I might be experiencing more of a
culture shock. Costa Rica was so
culturally different from Nebraska, that the Czech Republic doesn’t seem as far
from my “normal” as I thought it would.
The first
thing that I noticed about this culture that is different from home, is the
hospitality of the Czech people. Our
professors and other faculty here in the Czech are very hospitable. However, when we venture out to the store or
to go eat a meal, people in general are much more to themselves and oftentimes
what we would consider rude. One example
of this is the customer service. There have
been several times when we have eaten at a restaurant and the staff has been
exceptionally rude, to the point of rolling their eyes, scoffing and walking
away in the middle of a conversation.
Now I do realize that part of this may be because we cannot speak the
language very well, but if someone were to do this in the U.S., they would most
likely not have a job for very long.
However, I have noticed that the waiters/waitresses are not overly nice
to most Czech people either. The same
goes for if you are to go to the store, the clerks are not friendly. I think this particularly bothers me because
I have worked with customers and the public so much. In America, you are expected to be friendly
and always let the customer be right for the most part. In my opinion, it doesn’t take that much more
of an effort to just be nice to someone and greet them friendly.
Many of the Czech people have
informed us that their culture is like this because of all the oppression they
have experienced over the years. Even
their clothes and facial expressions portray this every day. This is another cultural difference that I have
noticed since arriving in the Czech. The
people of this country are not a hopeful people and that carries into their
daily life and religion. Even the movies
in the Czech do not end happily like what we watch in the United States. We have been informed several times now by
the Czech people that Americans are so hopeful and always want that “happy
ending” and that makes us strive for things that maybe seem unachievable. They will also say that they are much more
realistic than Americans because they accept it better when things do not turn
out the way they wanted because that has been happening to them for years. This makes me sad because even after they
have been freed from communism and occupations during war times, the effects
are still here and very evident. In the
United States, we do not truly understand how blessed we have been in our
history. The Czech people are spot on
when they say that our culture is very hopeful and positive. We may not realize it, but after visiting and
seeing the culture here, it has become clear just how different our
perspectives are on tough situations.
Last weekend a few friends and I
visited Barcelona, and the culture there was completely different from that of
the Czech. It is fascinating to me that
a country’s history can shape the culture of it and the attitude of the people
so greatly. The culture of Barcelona is
much more upbeat, and you can even notice that in the architecture and
landscaping. I know that may seem crazy
for some to think about, but I could clearly see the difference. I believe it is important to take note of
these differences to be able to adapt to the surroundings and I tried to do
this in Barcelona. I can’t wait to visit
other countries and see their different cultures throughout the rest of this
trip.
I love experiencing different
cultures and learning the history behind why cultures are the way they
are. To me, experiencing other cultures
and learning their history is one of the main reasons I studied abroad. I believe it would take a lot for me to
actually experience severe culture shock to the point of not being able to go
about my daily life. I say this not
because I think that I am superior, by any means, to anyone else who is
traveling, but because my goal is to understand and work with the culture I am
in and not against it. If you are always
comparing the culture you are currently in while traveling, to what you know at
home and wishing for home, then can you ever really experience the new
culture? I think everyone experiences a
little culture shock when they first arrive in a new place because of the
simple fact that it is a different culture, but I have tried to move on quickly
from that each time we travel to a new place.
Hopefully I can continue to take what comes my way and go with it so
that I am able to experience many more cultures while here in Europe. I was worried before coming here that I might
have culture shock and it would affect my experience here. However, I quickly learned that an open mind
and a willingness to learn from the people around me will make a person much
more adaptive and the culture shock a lot less debilitating to the experience. I know this blog was much more of my opinion
and probably not quite as exciting as the stories of traveling to Prague, but I
hope you all enjoyed reading it and got some insight on my approach to avoiding
too much culture shock and just enjoying the culture I am in!
The PivoVar in Olomouc!
The big mall in Olomouc!
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