Before You Come to Caltech

Adjusting to Life in the US

Those of you who are new to America will have an opportunity to learn a great deal about this country and its culture during your stay at Caltech. In addition, you will have the unique opportunity to learn a great deal about yourself and where you come from. You will experience the fascination of living in another country as well as the frustration of missing things that were so familiar to you at home. As you are experiencing all that in American, it is important for you to reflect on and discuss your experiences with others.

Anyone who is going to live in another country for an extended period of time should be aware of culture shock. While living in a new setting with unfamiliar social behaviors and a different language is certainly exciting, the excitement invariably includes feelings of disorientation and anxiety known as culture shock. Culture shock is the emotional reaction to difficulties you may experience when you are cut off from familiar cultural cues and patterns, including the subtle, indirect ways in which you normally express yourself and when you are unable to understand or predict what is going on around you. The everyday activities that you are used to accomplishing with ease in your home country may seem like major endeavors in your new environment. Furthermore, as you discover different cultural values and means of communication, you may question your own, wondering how they fit into your new life in California. The symptoms frequently associated with culture shock include boredom, the need of excessive sleep, compulsive eating or drinking, family tension and conflict, and chauvinistic feelings. These symptoms may last from a few weeks to several months. Because everyone responds to culture shock differently, just be aware that it is a normal process and it happens to everybody. Culture shock is the process of adjusting to a new country and a new culture, and it has some stages with which you should become familiar.

The Honeymoon stage: upon arrival, your first reaction will most likely be that great enthusiasm, even dream-like. Adjustments are easily made in this phase. During this stage you should do as much as possible to get settled down.

The crisis stage: As your life settles into a routine, your initial euphoria fades and the challenges of adjustment become more apparent. For example, growing frustration with the language and cultural differences is common, turning some everyday events into significant challenges and small difficulties into major hindrances.

The flight stage: In response to these frustrations and anxieties, you may deny the reality that you are living in a different culture. You consequently adopt any number of avoidances techniques, such as refusing to go out regularly, burying yourself into books, or frequently contacting family and friends in your home country in order to resist engagements with the new culture.

The integration stage: All the different stages start to balance out and you begin to adjust in more positive ways to your surroundings. Your ability to interpret cultural cues and signs improves. You are able to enjoy American customs while appreciating those of your country.  You feel more capable and outgoing.  However, this still includes moments of the earlier stages and difficult times. These fluctuations are normal and eventually you will experience the new culture from a more balanced perspective.

We all experience and deal with culture shock in very personal ways. At Caltech, the accompanying unemployed spouse has the most adjusting to do, having left all the social, personal and career ties behind. This spouse is usually the one most responsible for managing the household and interacting on a day-to-day basis with the new culture. The degree to which the spouse adjusts can play a significant part in how well the family as a whole adapts to the new surroundings. For the employed partner, the change may be less pronounced, as the work environment may be very similar to that at home. Nevertheless, the one who works may feel added pressure to perform as well as, or better than he did at home. For those who are single, you may encounter all the aspects of the new culture by yourself, without a partner with whom you can share the difficulties – and successes! Yet, in this situation you may also adapt more quickly than if you had someone else to help take on responsibilities.   

To learn more about culture shock and the process of adjusting to life in the United States, visit the US State Department Living in the U.S. web site.

Suggestions for coping with culture shock

One of the best ways to deal with culture shock and to learn more about American culture is to get involved and participate in the varied social and cultural events offered on campus and in the Pasadena and greater Los Angeles communities. Los Angeles is proud of its reputation as an ethnically diverse city that is also the entertainment capital of the world. On any day of the week, there are a number of events you can attend to learn more about your new home. If you want a great resource to refer to as you are experiencing the United States firsthand, check out the U.S. State Department’s America.gov website. This website has information on everything from arts and culture to government to media to civil rights. It’s a comprehensive website with a lot of good information.

Check out the Caltech clubs and associations to find “your family” on campus. The International Student Program located on campus on Holliston Avenue offers a lunch seminar every other Tuesday that deals with culture shock issues. Everyone who is part of the Caltech community is welcome to attend, participate, and/or listen.

The Caltech International Spouses Club is a social club mainly for spouses of foreign nationals who work at Caltech. It's goal is well defined by the following quote: “We are from different cultures. We speak different languages. But, we share the similar experiences of working to make Pasadena our new home. In the CISC, we share our interests, cultures, life experiences, adventures, and even our grandmothers’ recipes! We help each other with information and nurture our friendships to overcome the difficulties of living in a foreign country, and to make this new life fulfilling and fun. If you find yourself alone while your spouse is busy studying or working in his lab, you are warmly welcomed to join the fun we have here at CISC.”  CISC currently hosts two interest groups that meet regularly, every other week: the Reading Group and the Movie Group. Please contact us at internationalspousesclub@caltech.edu"
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