Studying Abroad: How to Survive Culture Shock

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<p style="text-align: left;"><em>Charis Sauer</em></p>
<p>Countries around the world will often espouse very different attitudes to work and work-life balance, which means that working closely with students from multicultural backgrounds can come with its fair share of challenges. However, learning to deal with these differences effectively can also be incredibly rewarding - and vital for international business.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charis Sauer, from Germany, recently graduated from the two-year </span><a href="http://bs.serving-sys.com/serving/adServer.bs?cn=trd&amp;mc=click&amp;pli=24978767&amp;PluID=0&amp;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Master’s in Management program</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at ESCP Europe, which took her to London, Paris, Berlin, and then to Tel Aviv for a final year internship.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charis loved her business school's multicultural mix of students, but she struggled to adapt to other students’ diverse work ethics and habits, particularly during group projects. Realizing the benefits of working as part of a diverse team is partly what helped her settle in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charis said: “At first, it can be challenging to work with so many cultural differences but you learn how to leverage the strengths of each individual. You understand that your mentality may not always be the best and discover that a group effort is always stronger than a single individual’s output.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“At the end of the day, the world is just a little village and thanks to the program, I have friends all over the globe.”</span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Immersing yourself in novels and films about your host country is a great way to build appreciation for its history and culture but also to learn to cherish the things we all have in common.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In his book </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Christopher Booker argued that anything ever written - from the Bible to Hollywood films - usually falls within seven basic plots: tragedy, rebirth, rags to riches, comedy, overcoming the monster, the quest or voyage and return. So, no matter where you end up studying, you’ll be able to find something familiar yet different in the stories told by that culture. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Always favor work from local artists over films and books merely </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">set </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">in your host country. If you’ve recently moved to Japan and are in the throes of culture shock, don’t fall into the trap of just watching </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lost In Translation</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>

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<p><em>Karl Rafael Kubisch</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By the time he started his </span><a href="http://bs.serving-sys.com/serving/adServer.bs?cn=trd&amp;mc=click&amp;pli=24978767&amp;PluID=0&amp;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400;">master’s</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at ESCP Europe, Karl Rafael Kubisch, had already studied abroad in Bogota and Kiev. His experiences abroad opened his eyes to the world. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Karl, who now works in the banking industry in Frankfurt, said: “I discovered that I was a bit ethnocentric when I first began my studies abroad. I believed that others should adapt to my culture by being punctual and doing things in a very specific way. Living in different countries has allowed me to see that I can enjoy adapting to their way of doing things.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For example, in Russia, if you shout and take a strong stand on something, you will not get very far but if you use charm and friendliness, you can reach your goal much faster.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Karl also recommends you try to pick up some foreign words while studying abroad. He said: “To get the most out of your time in your host country, make the effort to learn at least the basics of their language. It is a sign of respect. Every culture appreciates people who try to adapt to their way of doing things.” </span></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As we get older, our capacity for wonder and curiosity naturally tends to erode because it’s easier to fall back on what we already know than brave the unfamiliar. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As an adult, we’re no longer eating, touching and questioning everything quite to the same extent we once were as toddlers. Learning to become insatiably curious could make the difference between a happy study abroad and a melancholy one. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How can you learn to become more curious? To start with, stop comparing everything new to something similar from back home. Start asking questions too. Bombard your teachers and friends with open-ended questions to create a safe space for exchange and learning.   </span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">For more info about studying abroad and culture shock, download </span></em><a href="http://bs.serving-sys.com/serving/adServer.bs?cn=trd&amp;mc=click&amp;pli=24978767&amp;PluID=0&amp;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">ESCP Europe’s Survival Tips for International Students eBook #3: Surviving Multicultural Living</span></em></a><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.<span style="color: #ffffff;"> <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="http://bs.serving-sys.com/serving/adServer.bs?cn=display&amp;c=19&amp;mc=imp&amp;pli=24978767&amp;PluID=0&amp;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D&amp;rtu=-1%20%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">... </a></span></span></em></p>