When I decided to move to another country I tried to find out as much information as possible so I would be well prepared. Like many Slovenians, I saw Finland as a kind of ‘upgrade’ and every time I’ve ‘upgraded’ before I’ve had no problems with adjusting. “Why would this time be any different?” I thought. “It’s not like I’m moving to a really different country like Japan or somewhere like that!” But this time this change wasn’t so smooth and one day the massive differences between Slovenia and Finland hit me. I was in ‘Culture Shock.’

 

Despite trying to be as active and sociable as possible, I kept on having these terrible homesick periods. When I was experiencing home-sickness everything in Finland just sucked and everything in Slovenia seemed perfect. I was constantly comparing the two countries and Slovenia was inevitably so much better that there was no contest. Every day I was moaning to my boy-friend about the horrible weather, about how I can’t buy fresh bread every day or about how the University food is overpriced and always tastes the same. Before long, my Finnish boyfriend was also constantly grumbling about how ‘dark’ and ‘unfriendly’ Oulu is and how Slovenia is ‘better in every way.’ He was trying to show me how annoying my complaining sounded and only then I actually realized it.

But I wasn’t alone. ‘Culture Shock’ is something that most Expats experience with varying intensity. The term was first introduced in 1954 by Finnish-Canadian anthropologist Kalvero Oberg.  

Oberg divided ‘Culture Shock’ into four stages. In the Honeymoon Stage, everything is ‘new’ and ‘fascinating’ and you feel happy. Tourists often stop here and go home meaning that they have a superficially warm impression of the country and maybe even write a ‘pleasant’ book about the experience. The Honeymoon can last from few days to a year and during it immigrants will see their old country negatively. However, it is followed by hostile and aggressive feelings towards the host country. Oberg said that in this Regression Stage everything in your home country seems fantastic by comparison to your new country and you forget all the bad things. You really start to feel your home culture; eating foods from home more than before and language learning often stalls or regresses at this point.

At this stage, claims Oberg, foreigners often gang together to exchange negative stereotypes about the natives. Oberg calls this stage a ‘Crisis’ and it determines whether you will stay or leave. The problems are soon lessened if you learn a way to get around and learn the language. Stage 3 is Recovery, when you get over your negative feelings often through a trip back home which makes you realise that your romantic view of home is just that. And the last stage is the Final Adjustment in which you accept the new culture and start enjoying it. Then, claims Oberg, natives will sense this and start liking you as well.

Many other expats in Oulu have had similar experiences of ‘Culture Shock.’ One Scottish expat went through all the stages. In the Honeymoon stage he said ‘the language was fascinating, people seemed friendly and everything was clean and worked properly.’ But after seven months, the real culture shock kicked in and he started finding fault in everything. He was annoyed by ‘the lack of Sunday trading, the lack of choice in the shops, that there’s no 24 hour television or 24 hour supermarkets, alcohol is hard to buy and taxes are far too high.’ Compared to Scotland, he also felt that people were ‘quiet and unfriendly’ and he found that many Finns would ‘spit’ and ‘sniff when they had colds’ which would be ‘out of order back home.’ His list just went on and on and he also stopped trying to learn Finnish and would avidly watch any British TV programme no matter how bad.  

After spending three weeks in Scotland, he experienced a ‘Reverse Culture Shock,’ a further stage that was developed by German linguist J. H. Schumann who applied ‘Culture Shock’ theory specifically to learning a language. The Scottish Expat saw Scotland as ‘dirty with nothing working properly.’ He was amazed that ‘people don’t recycle’, ‘they’re so unhealthy’ and ‘everything’s so old.’ And after that, he felt he started to adjust to and accept Finland and even took up the language again. Schumann found that because of ‘Reverse Culture Shock’ many people eventually return to their host country.

It is also possible that a person does not experience Culture Shock that severely. One German woman I spoke to said she only gets homesick now and then; missing her family and tasty, fresh, cheap fruit but that is about it. So if you are lucky enough you might get through only with a mild case of culture shock or even none at all.

But sometimes, Culture Shock can even lead to serious depression. In ‘Role Shock,’ a person is left confused by the new unfamiliar social roles and expectations. For example, a previously independent person might have to accept a dependent relationship or vice versa. According to Michael Winkelman, the personal shock includes loss of personal intimacy and contact with significant others, like spouses, friends and family. Those people are our support system and they allow us to function normally and without them we try to create our own society or a group of people to feel like we belong somewhere. Many Expats do this but some withdraw and become depressed.

But if you’re going through Culture Shock now, there are ways to cope. It is very important to read up about the country before you arrive. In that way you will know more about the differences and will be prepared to deal with them. Many researchers have found that Culture Shock will always happen and the healthiest thing is, therefore, to reconnect with your home culture while you experience Stage 2. This will remind you that there are negative things about home as well. Also, you can for example start a new hobby, keep in touch with friends and family back home, exercise regularly, maintain contact with the new culture and your ethnic group in the host country. It is pointless trying to fight Culture Shock but you are far from alone in going through it.