Cultural Adaptation in a New Location

Can you really prepare for culture shock? My thought process before coming to Thailand was strong. An I’ll be just fine type of mentality. It wasn’t long before I realized that maybe I had been a little too complacent. When you arrive in a city like Bangkok, culture shock is an understatement. To me, the shock felt more like an everlasting reverberation of new cultural etiquettes and experiences constantly overloading my brain. My first walk through the city sent my mind in a million different directions, kind of like the way the cars/motorbikes maneuvered through the streets (there really are no rules, and if there are, people don’t follow them). Not to mention, I was running off of two days of travel that consisted of missed flights, delays, hardly any sleep, and an overdose of jetlag. Regardless, I was escorted to my first meeting where I sat under blaring fluorescent lights and tried my hardest to comprehend my first Thai lesson. The first week in Bangkok was a rush which was consistent with the atmosphere of the metropolis. Though I knew I was in Thailand, I was still thriving off of many western familiarities. The city spoiled me with comforts like Starbucks coffee and overpriced breakfast sandwiches. That first week felt very similar to a vacation. The excitement was brimming, and with the help of OEG, I had a lot of assistance in terms of language, navigation and generally figuring things out. But, I knew that would change, and my one week holiday was over quickly.

Fast forward two months, and my experience has become a bipolar journey that consists of both extreme highs and lows. I came to Thailand to grow- mentally, emotionally and spiritually (not physically, although the ubiquitous fried dough stands on every street corner make that difficult). Since arriving two months ago, here is a little insight on some of the new cultural norms I’ve had to adjust to.

Cultural Adaptations: Etiquettes like “hello” and “thank you” are replaced with “sawatdee-kha” and “khawb khun kha”. Common courtesy gesticulations like hand shakes transform into wais. You no longer eat with a fork and knife, but a fork and a spoon (and this suddenly makes way more sense). It’s neither rude nor too personal to be asked your age, it’s actually a sign that someone wants to be able to pay you proper respect. You learn how to drive on the wrong side of the road. You crash a motorbike and get right back on. You ride in the back of pick up trucks. Your bicycle becomes your main form of transportation and exercise. You NEVER have to fear getting a speeding ticket. You suddenly become okay with seeing new born babies hanging in a mother’s arms on the back of a motorbike, sometimes packed three people deep and seldom wearing a helmet. Your taste buds become born again receptors that experience a whole new world of flavors (and SPICE). Most days your gut hates you (I don’t know when or if this will end). You suddenly start reading temperatures in celsius and measuring distance in km. It becomes normal to get lost and an adventure to be found again. You learn to never trust the weather, for one second it can be a tropical paradise and the next a torrential downpour. You do learn to trust the people; you take rides from strangers, advice, assistance, and sometimes the food presented to you if you’re polite enough to stomach it. You begin to mirror the smiles that shower you as you walk down the streets. You get used to local people stopping to take your picture like you’re some sort of celebrity that has just arrived in their neighborhood. You value more, like the comfort of a warm bed after walking miles in the rain, or the late night conversations where familiar adventures are shared amongst other foreigners. You value yourself and the difficult experiences you overcome. You learn to be patient with people, especially when a language barrier is present, and you learn to be patient with your newly developing self. Most importantly, you learn to embrace and welcome that new self. You learn how to dig yourself out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in the beauty of a new land, a new people, and every single experience and adventure that you encounter.