Culture Shock

As a Peace Corps volunteer, one of the things I have experienced upon arrival in a developing African country is culture shock. This is primarily because people in this country have different cultural values, beliefs, traditions and practices from my own. Given these differences, a critical component towards a suitable experience while living in the country as a Peace Corps volunteer is culture adaptation. Adapting or adjusting to the culture in this developing country is not an easy process because there are some aspects of this culture that are harder to adjust to. One of the cultural aspects that is difficult to adjust to in this developing country is language. While most of the people I have met understand English, they often speak their local national language and their tribal languages. This makes it very difficult to adjust to this culture since I would need to learn the different languages in order to communicate with the locals effectively. The other aspects that would be difficult to adjust to include food, local perceptions of people regarding people from my country, and different beliefs and values between people from different tribes. These aspects are the hardest to adjust to since they affect my ability to develop effective relationships and communication with the locals.

On the contrary, citizens of the developing African country are likely to find some aspects of my culture shocking. First, these citizens are likely to be shocked by the fact that English is the most commonly used language for communication in my country. Unlike them, I only know and speak one language i.e. English. Secondly, this people are likely to be shocked with the fact that time-keeping is an important practice in my culture unlike in their country where time is relatively flexible (Kakonge, 2017). Third, citizens of the developing African country will be shocked that fast food or snacking is common in my culture, particularly between regular meals.
Reference
Kakonge, J.O. (2017, March 30). The Role of Culture in Africa’s Development. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.pambazuka.org/economics/role-culture-africa%E2%80%99s-development