While serving in Benin, Africa, Greg Crofford lost patience during a moment of culture shock. Anyone who moves to a new culture progresses through four stages of adaptation.
Learning a new language and impatience with inability to communicate effectively can exacerbate the frustration stage.
Question: How did your family adjust to culture shock? How did you adjust?
-- Leslie Logsdon, senior theology and ministry major, Southern Nazarene University
Response:
Culture shock – a term coined by Kalvero Oberg in 1954 – refers to the anxiety and disorientation an individual experiences when living in a new cultural environment. It is a common experience for anyone spending more than a week or two in a foreign country.
Most missionaries can think of a low moment in their cultural adaptation. For me, it was a blistering day in Cotonou, Benin (West Africa). It was typical at the time for boys to wander between cars in traffic. When the driver was looking away, they would suddenly pull out squeegees from behind their backs. Without asking permission, they would “clean” the windshield using dirty water. Afterward, they insistently demanded payment for their unwanted efforts, earning them the name “squeegee bandits.”
I saw their trick coming and told them a firm “no.” Pretending they hadn’t heard, they pulled out their squeegees and starting swabbing my windshield. That was when I lost it, jumping out on the pavement and angrily chasing them around the car! Other motorists laughed at me, or shook their heads at the “yovo” (white person) who had baked too long in the tropical sun. Finally, at my wife’s insistence, I got back in the car and drove off in shame, the light having turned green and my face having turned red!
Although culture shock can flare up like it did on that day, usually it’s a gradual process of adjustment involving four stages:
1) Honeymoon: Sometimes called the fascination or tourist stage, this is the time immediately upon arrival when everything is new and wonderful. You’re eager to learn phrases in the language of your host country, and find customs exotic and exciting.
2) Frustration: The bloom is off the rose. What at first might have seemed endearing now is annoying, even revolting. “Why are they doing that?” is a phrase that creeps increasingly into your daily conversation. You find yourself becoming angry over petty things, and your attempts at communication frustrate you. Things from “back home” take on a special allure, and you may begin spending more time with others from your country and less time with those you’ve come to serve. You are reaching a crisis and will either get on the plane to go home or reach the next step.
3) Understanding: If you resist withdrawing from others and persist in your language learning, gradually you will begin to appreciate your new surroundings. As you make new friends, homesickness will lessen. Little by little, you will discover positive things in your new environment. Captions under your FaceBook photos will be upbeat. Even if there are local foods that you don’t like, you’ll have found some dishes that taste good and that you can recommend to others. The clouds are lifting.
4) Acclimation stage: You’ve come to realize that in any place, including your own country of origin, there are both negative and positive aspects. Language has become less of a barrier, though you still have much to learn. Daily life is less of a hassle, as you’ve learned to navigate your way through many everyday situations. Best of all, your sense of humor is back, and instead of getting angry, you laugh at yourself. You’ve settled in for the “long haul” and reached a place of maximum effectiveness in your service.
Former missionary Howard Culbertson advises keeping a journal upon arrival in a new location. This gives a place to vent frustrations to avoid dumping them unfairly on others. It’s also helpful to establish an exercise routine, working out the stress of culture shock in a healthy way. Most of all, don’t forget that God cares about you! Go to Him in prayer. Ask Him to give you the strength and endurance that you need. He has called you to a place of cross-cultural ministry, and He won’t let you down.
-- Dr. Greg Crofford is Director of the Institut Théologique Nazaréen, a ministerial education program active in 15 African nations. He lives in Nairobi, Kenya.