Grand Valley State University’s Department of Modern Languages and Padnos International Center An event called “Culture Shock: Thinking Globally Conversations” on Thursday, February This event is aimed at students who have studied abroad or are interested in traveling abroad to generate conversations about culture shock, reverse culture shock, and how to overcome it. The purpose was
All international students or those who have traveled, studied, or worked abroad were encouraged to participate to share their personal experiences. Students and staff sat around large round tables, exchanging travel stories and anecdotes and deepening their understanding of culture and connections.
The students went around the table introducing themselves, and some talked about the countries they had traveled to and the countries they were from. After introducing themselves, they began sharing their stories about what it’s like to live in another country. One international student said she felt almost unfamiliar returning to her home country even though she had built a life in the United States. Another student told me a story about how she was lost in another country, with a broken cell phone and little idea where she was. Despite the adversity they faced, all of the students said there was something special about traveling abroad.
GVSU Senior Nia Rahman In the fall of 2023, he will study abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. She spent her time there studying her neuroscience and taking elective courses in neuroscience. She said Ms. Rahman wished she could have enjoyed her time abroad because at the time she was feeling homesick for the United States. Rahman said her experience studying abroad was “very doable,” she reflected.
“It’s worth spending money and taking time to travel to a different country and get a completely different outlook on life,” Rahman said.
Elinor Harrison, a fourth-year student at GVSU, also studied abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, where she studied both biomedical science and classics. While in Rome, Harrison took a six-week program and took classes specific to her major, including an on-site course in ancient Roman history.. Harrison said studying abroad was one of her favorite experiences in college.
“We do a lot of things in Grand Valley, but I think this was one of the best things I’ve done,” Harrison said.
Harrison said living in Italy was an “adjustment.” She said that one of the culture shocks she experienced in Italy was the “casual” and “slow” Italian culture.
“Italy itself has a very slow culture, so we recognized that it was going to be a kind of ‘slow down’ moment,” Harrison said.
Megan Kai, East Asian Studies Program Coordinator and Associate Professor at GVSU, was one of the main organizers of the Culture Shock event. Tsai said that hosting the Culture Shock Talks has made overseas travel more accessible to interested students.
“We thought this was an important series because we want to emphasize how important language and culture are to modern people,” Kai said.
With a large community of students from diverse backgrounds, events like this series highlight study abroad opportunities at GVSU and remind students to explore the world around them. To learn more about international study opportunities at GVSU, please visit the GVSU Study Abroad website.