There are four stages of culture shock when experiencing an unfamiliar place. Yet when a person returns to what once was familiar settings they experience what is referred to as, reverse culture shock. Reverse culture shock happens if the person acclimated to the host culture, and then in return experiences greater distress and confusion when trying to get back into their old routine. The person will start to compare their home culture to certain aspects they admired in the new culture.
This diagram shows how one might use the new cultures customs while back in their home culture. One may experience both physical and psychological symptoms of distress while acclimating back into their home culture.
I experience reverse culture shock every time i return home from traveling. Yes, I love and feel comfortable in my own home but the consistent routine gets boring and unexciting that i find myself acting as though I was still abroad. I try to travel every year, I cant stand to have 'cabin fever' over familiarities. One example is when I returned to Hawaii after living in Mexico for a little while. I constantly found myself thinking and trying to converse in Spanish. I also experienced my body wanting to take a siesta everyday, where back home I returned to my two jobs and having a siesta was definitely not plausible.
In all honesty I think that reverse culture shock is the hardest to overcome, comparisons between the two cultures leave more confusion and anxiety.
IDENTIFICATION MARKER (Fong, Chuang 188)
Identification marker refers to how one labels themselves and what labels one feels comfortable with. In Communication Ethnic & Cultural Identity Susan Hafen describes identification marker while using lesbian women as examples. Yet identification markers aren't exclusive to lesbians alone, but everyone. Everyone describes themselves differently, and during class discussion on 3/3/11 made that apparent.
I find myself never identifying myself as a girl, women, or gal, but instead with qualities and aspirations I feel I have. Mostly in adjectives such as determined, vivacious, and enthusiastic just to name a few. As well as a traveler and a college student.
Others, like to show there identity in more visual ways such with tattoos like this picture below. Tattoos may illustrate rank, beliefs, and subgroups.
Ultimately I don't think it matters how one expressed their identification maker, as long as they feel comfortable and are proud to be who they are.
SPEECH COMMUNITIES (Fong, Chuang 200)
In the book, Communication Ethnic & Cultural Identity, Speech communities are defined as "are not constituted by geography alone, but by use of language: the rules, conduct, and interpretation of that language, which implicate both social norms and linguistic forms (Fong, Chuang 200)." Th book then describes CB talk among Interstate truckers, but since I have no personal experience to that subgroup I'll talk about one I do.
I am always on the computer when I'm at home. I might not be actively using the device but it's always on just in case someone calls or instant messages me. Because I'm going to school in a different state and due to the time difference I always like to be available to friends and family via the Internet. Language via the Internet has evolved from normal face-to-face communication. Words and phrases are now abbreviated and grammar as been lost.
In the video game world communication is different and may be hard for a newcomer to recognize and follow conversation without a little help. The video below is a fast lesson on some frequently used terms while gaming online.
Although I'm not a gamer, I find myself using some of the same terminology while communicating online.
Things I use daily are: LOL-laugh out loud
SMH- shake my head
FML- f**k my life
LMAO- laugh my a** off
BRB- be right back
TTYL- talk to you later
THIRD-CULTURE KIDS (Jandt 292)
Third culture kids are those who spend most of their time growing up in places outside of their home culture. Global nomads, transnationals, and internationally mobile children are other terms that are used to describe the nature of third-culture kids. These kids "have a high level of interest in travel and learning languages and feel accepting of cultures and diversity (Jandt 292)."
I think third-culture have greater benefits in both personal and professional gains. They are easily adaptable and have a broader image of life and global scope of communication. Although moving around isn't the most ideal situation, but I think the benefits are far greater then the faults.
Personally, I categorize myself to be a border line third-culture kid. This is because I have grown up in Hawaii, but every year my mother would take me traveling abroad. We wouldn't stay in a new place for more then a month due to school and work, but while growing up i had new culture experiences. These new culture experiences affected my growing up because of this exposer.
Military kids are one easy example of third-culture kids as this video explains. I can't imagine what it would be like to not feel at home in a place you've called your home since as long as you could remember. I don't think I would stay, If I was those students I would go to another country abroad that had no relation to my identity. This way I wouldn't have expectations.
SPANGLISH (Jandt 363)
Mixing both English and Spanish in a sentence is the definition of Spanglish. This code-switching can be by a single word, phrase of whole sentence. Recently moving to California I am confronted with a lot of Spanglish speaking people. Being that I'm not fluent in Spanish, Spanglish benefits me because I'm able to learn and understand the Spanish language better. Although because it's not proper Spanish I might find myself in a predicament when proper Spanish is deemed necessary, such as in college classes and travels abroad.
This video is a comedic example of how it sounds when one will speak Spanglish. I love George Lopez and I found this video to be funny and a very good example of what I hear on the streets. Although there is a fault of Spanglish, my friends that are teachers finds that kids that talk Spanglish have a harder time in writing properly. When this comes about I feel that it needs to be stressed when Spanglish is appropriate and when it's not.
Third culture kids are those who spend most of their time growing up in places outside of their home culture. Global nomads, transnationals, and internationally mobile children are other terms that are used to describe the nature of third-culture kids. These kids "have a high level of interest in travel and learning languages and feel accepting of cultures and diversity (Jandt 292)."
I think third-culture have greater benefits in both personal and professional gains. They are easily adaptable and have a broader image of life and global scope of communication. Although moving around isn't the most ideal situation, but I think the benefits are far greater then the faults.
Personally, I categorize myself to be a border line third-culture kid. This is because I have grown up in Hawaii, but every year my mother would take me traveling abroad. We wouldn't stay in a new place for more then a month due to school and work, but while growing up i had new culture experiences. These new culture experiences affected my growing up because of this exposer.
Military kids are one easy example of third-culture kids as this video explains. I can't imagine what it would be like to not feel at home in a place you've called your home since as long as you could remember. I don't think I would stay, If I was those students I would go to another country abroad that had no relation to my identity. This way I wouldn't have expectations.
SPANGLISH (Jandt 363)
Mixing both English and Spanish in a sentence is the definition of Spanglish. This code-switching can be by a single word, phrase of whole sentence. Recently moving to California I am confronted with a lot of Spanglish speaking people. Being that I'm not fluent in Spanish, Spanglish benefits me because I'm able to learn and understand the Spanish language better. Although because it's not proper Spanish I might find myself in a predicament when proper Spanish is deemed necessary, such as in college classes and travels abroad.
This video is a comedic example of how it sounds when one will speak Spanglish. I love George Lopez and I found this video to be funny and a very good example of what I hear on the streets. Although there is a fault of Spanglish, my friends that are teachers finds that kids that talk Spanglish have a harder time in writing properly. When this comes about I feel that it needs to be stressed when Spanglish is appropriate and when it's not.
-Katrina Ortiz-Chavez
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