How to Adjust to a New Culture

• American Classroom Etiquette
• Friendship
• Tips for a Good Friendship
• Adapting to New Surroundings
• Coping with Culture Shock
• Slang

American classroom etiquette

Some American student behaviors that you may find surprise you. Students may:

• sit in class with their feet on the chair or desk in front of them.
• eat
• drink
• sleep in class
• interrupt lectures
• raise objections to what is being said

In general, none of these behaviors is disrespectful unless it is done in a belligerent or aggressive manner. In fact, one way in which an American student shows respect for a teacher is by being an active participant in class.

Friendships

A good social life is important to a student's success. Recreation, diversion, and friends contribute to a balanced life. Although Americans have a reputation for being very friendly (and Minnesotans are called "Minnesota Nice"), it takes time for friendship, especially a close friendship, to develop between Americans. This may or may not be the same in your own culture. You may hear Americans refer to acquaintances, such as persons who happen to sit together in class, as "friends." There are, however, degrees of friendship.

In the United States, people often say, "Hi, how are you?" or "How are you doing?" and then not wait for a response. These are polite phrases rather than questions.

Participating in campus life is a good way to find friends. There are a wide array of clubs and organizations on the CSB/SJU campuses. There are also cultural & religious associations, sports teams & clubs, volunteer service organizations, student government, academic societies, music, theater, and a student newspaper. To check out clubs and activities: http://www.csbsju.edu/studentactivities/clubs/default.htm

We also designed the International Friends Program to help you meet American students and families.

You may be surprised by the informality of relations between men and women in the United States. Couples go out alone in the evening to attend a lecture, movie, concert, or party; students may get together for a "study date." Relationships between American men and women of college age range from simple, casual friendships to strong emotional and physical commitments.

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Tips for good friendships

• Getting involved in campus life is a great way to make new friends. There are lots of organizations and groups eager for new members
• Learn the difference between "friendliness" and "friendship." Most Americans will be friendly, but such friendliness is not necessarily a prelude to friendship. Avoid misunderstandings by learning the signals of a growing friendship.

Adapting to New Surroundings

Culture shock is not quite as shocking or as sudden as most people expect. It is part of the process of learning a new culture that is called "cultural adaptation." Most people experience some discomfort before they are able to function well in a new setting. This discomfort is the "culture shock" stage of the adaptation process. The main thing to remember is that this is a very normal process that nearly everyone goes through.

Just as you will bring with you to the United States clothes and other personal items, you will also carry invisible "cultural baggage" when you travel. That baggage isn't as obvious as the items in your suitcases, but it will play a major role in your adaptation abroad. Cultural baggage contains the values that are important to you and the patterns of behavior that are customary in your culture. The more you know about your personal values and how they are derived from your culture, the better prepared you will be to see and understand the cultural difference you will encounter abroad.

The housing arrangements, the manner in which classes are taught, using the CSB/SJU email system & voice mail as well as other procedures may seem strange or confusing. The international student program office is often the best place to go for help with such matters. The international student consultants will be extremely helpful in helping you sort out anything that seems confusing!

The key to remember is that culture shock does not happen all at once...it can be a very gradual process. For many this gradual process culminates in an emotional state known as "culture shock," although it is seldom as dramatic as the term implies. The common symptoms of culture shock are:

• extreme homesickness
• desire to avoid social settings that seem threatening or unpleasant
• physical complaints and sleep disturbances
• depression and feelings of helplessness
• difficulty with course work and concentration
• loss of your sense of humor
• boredom or fatigue
• hostility toward the host culture

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Coping with cultural shock

The most effective way to combat culture shock is to step back from an event that has bothered you, assess it, and search for an appropriate explanation and response. Try the following:

• observe how others are acting in the same situation
• describe the situation, what it means to you, and your response to it
• ask local residents how they would have handled the situation and what it means in the host culture
• plan how you might act in this or similar situations in the future
• test the new behavior and evaluate how well it works
• decide how you can apply what you have learned the next time you find yourself in a similar situation

Throughout the period of cultural adaptation, take good care of yourself. Read a book or rent a video in your home language, take a short trip if possible, exercise and get plenty of rest, write a letter or telephone home, eat good food, and do things you enjoy with friends. Take special notice of things you enjoy about living in the host culture.

Although it can be disconcerting and a little scary, the "shock" gradually eases as you begin to understand the new culture. It is useful to realize that often the reactions and perceptions of others toward you--and you toward them--are not personal evaluations but are based on a clash of cultural values. The more skilled you become in recognizing how and when cultural values and behaviors are likely to come in conflict, the easier it becomes to make adjustments that can help you avoid serious difficulties.

Sometimes students worry about "losing their culture" if they become too well adapted to the host culture. Do not worry: It is virtually impossible to lose the culture in which you were raised. In fact, learning about the new culture often increases your appreciation for and understanding of your own culture. Do not resist the opportunity to become bicultural, that is, able to function competently in two cultural environments.

Much of this material was taken from NAFSA'S International Student Handbook.

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Slang

• Bars - rectangular cookies
• Big deal - important event, may be used sarcastically to refer to something that is not important
• Blue or have the blues - feel depressed
• Booze - liquor
• Bounce a check - overdraw a checking account
• Buck - a dollar ($)
• Bummer - unpleasant experience
• Burned out - exhausted, dull or lifeless as a result of excess drugs
• BYOB - Bring Your Own Bottle/Beer, most often seen on an invitation to a party
• Caf - the CSB cafeteria
• Check out - sign books, DVDs, etc. out of the library, try to learn something tnew
• Check it out - look at something or somebody
• Chill/Chill out - relax, a command to stop what you are doing
• Commuter - someone who lives at home and uses some sort of transportation to get to work or school
• Cool - something good or unusual
• Cop - police officer
• Couch potato - lazy person who spends a lot of time watching TV
• Cram - study frantically the night before a test
• Crash - stay overnight at someone's place, usually without notice or formal arrangement, to go to sleep after being very tired
• Drag - inhale a cigarette, something that is boring
• Drop in - visit unexpectedly
• Fed up - disgusted with or tired of
• For sure - definitely, I agree, you are right
• Gay - homosexual
• Gross - something vulgar or crude
• Hair binder - Ponytail holder
• Hang out - relax, a regular meeting place for friends
• High - under the influence of marijuana or other drugs
• Hold/hold on - wait , often used while on the phone
• Hot pot - food containing a variety of different ingredients usually meat, vegetables, and cheese
• ID - identification card
• Jesse Ventura - Minnesota's governor that was a pro-wrestler, a controversial figure
• Joint - marijuana cigarette
• Junk food - food of little or no nutritional value
• Lighten up - relax, don't be serious
• Link - the school bus
• Lol - laugh out loud or lots of laughs
• Make ends meet - budget within one's income
• Mall - a cluster of stores in one specific area, a shopping center
• Pop - soda, soft drinks like Coke, Sprite, etc.
• Psyched - excited about something that is about to happen
• Reef - the SJU refectory
• SCSU - Saint Cloud State University
• Stockings - pantyhose, nylons
• Sweet - a sign of approval
• The Cities - the Twin Cities Minneapolis/St. Paul
• The U or the U of M - University of Minnesota
• Rowdy - loud, noisy, obnoxious
• Straight - someone who is ultra conservative, heterosexual
• Valedine - CSB/SJU ID
• Wanna come with - do you want to go with me?
• What's up - common greeting, "what's happening?"
• Ya betcha - sure
• Yah - yes