{"id":206,"date":"2014-03-11T18:49:53","date_gmt":"2014-03-11T18:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scqa.hult.edu\/en\/news\/blogs\/2014\/march\/how-to-overcome-culture-shock\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T15:26:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T14:26:43","slug":"how-to-overcome-culture-shock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/how-to-overcome-culture-shock\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Overcome Culture Shock"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we make a big move that requires us to adjust to a new environment, we can go through a roller coaster of emotions. When the new environment is a different country, that roller coaster has a more specific name: culture shock<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Culture shock starts with the excitement of being in a new country \u2013\u00a0the cornucopia of sights, sounds, and smells, and an ever-present \u201cbuzz\u201d in the air. But when the “honeymoon stage” phases out, reality sets in. In my case, I started noticing the differences between what I was used to back in Kenya and what America had to offer. I remember my frustration when I first tried to activate my credit card. I called the \u00a0customer care line after the automated machine instructions failed me. \u201cMy phone doesn\u2019t have a ‘pound’ key,\u201c I complained. After several hours on the phone, the equally frustrated customer service representative walked me through my phone keypad to trace this mysterious key. I felt like a kid in kindergarten as we went through each key, until I got to the last one where I finally found the hash symbol (#), \u00a0or what Americans call the pound key \u2013\u00a0the magic key I thought I didn\u2019t have!<\/p>\n

But the differences didn\u2019t seem to end. I remember the shock I felt when I ordered \u201cchicken and chips\u2019\u2019 at a fast food restaurant, only to be given a bag of \u201cpotato crisps\u2018\u2019, or what Americans call \u201cchips\u201d. My intended order? Chicken and fries<\/em>. Every day seemed to unfold more challenges. I even hung on tightly to \u201cmy\u201d units of measurement: kilograms, Celsius degrees, etc. But I finally had to adopt pounds, ounces, miles, and Fahrenheit so that I could be understood in a day-to-day conversations.<\/p>\n

In time, I have come to appreciate and love my new home in San Francisco<\/a>. What is there not to love about this city? I have made friends, and I realize now that most people on campus have an accent (not just me!) \u2013 what matters most is being clear in how one communicates. Speaking of accents, a funny moment in class occurred when a professor attempting to confirm my classmate \u201cGracie\u201d referred to her questioningly as \u201cCrazy\u201d?<\/p>\n

In the past six months of my MBA program at Hult<\/a>, I have learnt some big lessons on how to overcome culture shock. Here are some helpful tips:<\/p>\n