Culture shock as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa

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.