One thing every employee reporting to an overseas assignment experiences, at least for the first few weeks, is culture shock. Discuss any personal experience you have with culture shock and how you handled it. Comment on what you might have done differently if you had been given that opportunity. Culture shock is not unique to overseas assignments. You can experience culture shock when traveling throughout the United States into regions with different customs, accents, language, and other factors. For example, some cultures do not shake hands.
Handling culture shock
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Another thing that helped me was to talk to other people who had been through culture shock. They were able to give me advice and support, and they helped me to feel less alone.
Of course, there were also times when I felt frustrated and homesick. I missed my family and friends, and I sometimes felt like I didn't belong. But I knew that I had to adjust to my new surroundings, so I forced myself to go out and explore. I met new people, tried new foods, and learned about Japanese culture.
It took a few months, but eventually I started to feel more comfortable in Japan. I learned to speak the language, I made friends, and I started to feel like I belonged. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to experience culture shock, even though it was challenging at times. It taught me a lot about myself and about the world, and it made me a more open-minded and understanding person.
If I had been given the opportunity to do things differently, I would have started learning Japanese sooner. I would have also tried to find a mentor or someone who could help me to adjust to my new surroundings. But overall, I'm glad that I had the experience of culture shock. It was a challenging but rewarding experience that I will never forget.
I think that culture shock can happen anywhere, even in the United States. If you are traveling to a new region, it is important to be aware of the cultural differences and to be respectful of the local customs. It is also important to be open-minded and to be willing to learn about new cultures.
Sample Answer.
I can share my experience with culture shock. I was assigned to work in Japan for a year, and I definitely experienced culture shock in the first few weeks. I was used to living in a Western country, and I was suddenly surrounded by people who spoke a different language, had different customs, and even ate different food. It was a lot to take in, and I felt overwhelmed and lost at times.
One of the things that helped me the most was to try to learn as much as I could about Japanese culture before I went. I read books, watched movies, and even took some online courses. This helped me to understand the cultural differences and to anticipate some of the challenges I would face.