It’s April, the second quarter of 2020.

As I sat to write in my journal this morning, I stumbled across a page where I wrote some thoughts in the last week of December 2019, when I was spending time in my year-end silent retreat. I usually listen and pray into the upcoming year during these prayer times. As I was thinking about 2020, I wrote down these words. 

2020 feels like “moving” to a NEW COUNTRY.

I remember vividly the tangible sense of something new, unknown and unfamiliar descending as I was envisioning the start of 2020, a New Year and a new decade. 

It felt like a “wild card.”

I felt the transition…It was obvious that something was about to change. The end of something and the beginning of another. It felt like we were moving to a new country, a new territory.

“The old is crumbling and the new is crowning.” (I have been talking and writing about this prophetic phrase in the past 5 years).

I didn’t have the language at that time to name it, but now I have a language for it – I was anticipating CULTURE SHOCK.

If you have ever lived or studied in a country abroad or have traveled to another country, I bet you have experienced some aspects of Culture Shock.

I remember feeling so hungry in Argentina during a trip, as we waited for dinner to be served around 10pm! And it was a big piece of flesh. Steak. They have some of the best steak in the world but I am not used to eating heavy food in the late evening and I usually eat around 6pm. I remember feeling off-kilter and out of order. 

Even when you travel within your country, but to a different region, you may experience some degree of Culture Shock. Things will feel strange – accents, nature of interaction, socialization, food, smell, personal space, (so RELEVANT now) and the days unfold differently. 

The online Oxford Dictionary defines Culture Shock as disorientation experienced when suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture or way of life. 

Today, as I reflect on the situation that we find ourselves all around the world, Culture Shock couldn’t be more appropriate: 

We have taken the flight and have landed in a whole new place.

Collectively, all of humanity has been jolted into a new territory, where we have never been before.

We are experiencing the symptoms of a Culture Shock.

We are experiencing the heightened feelings of UNFAMILIARITY.

What other symptoms of Culture Shock can relate to during the COV-19 pandemic? (I pulled a few more from educational resources on culture shock) 

• Extreme homesickness (longing for our normal home or life)
• Feelings of helplessness/dependency 
• Disorientation and isolation 
• Depression and sadness 
• Hyper-irritability, may include inappropriate anger and hostility 
• Sleep and eating disturbances (too little or too much) 
• Excessive critical reactions to host culture/stereotyping 
• Recreational drug dependency 
• Extreme concerns over sanitation, safety (even paranoia), and being taken advantage of 
• Loss of focus and ability to complete tasks

It may also be helpful for us to scaffold our collective disorientation by leaning into the stages of Culture Shock. 

Culture Shock has been broken down into four stages:

1. The Honeymoon phase– It starts with the excitement, euphoria and ecstasy – like falling in love. We love the new and are feel extremely motivated. One may refuse to believe that that experience will challenge us. We focus on tackling the challenge head on. There is a great deal of shortsightedness or blind love. 
2. The Frustration phase– when we feel some agitation, anxiety and frustration. Anger and hostility may begin to manifest. Little things become annoying. Things aren’t as rosy and romantic as we hoped. It’s appropriate to experience grief and a longing for the good old days. 
3. The Adjustment phase– after a great deal of effort and perhaps failures, we start to learn the new. We notice the small victories, like being able to get through the day without snapping at our loved ones, or experiencing gratitude that we can still enjoy our basic meal without excessive ingredients. 
4. The Acceptance phase– no one knows how long this will take, but it’s when we start to thrive in the “new country”. We feel equipped with sufficient inner resources to navigate our new territory, even when our challenges remain. 

As someone who has traveled to about 40 countries and relocated to two countries in the space of two decades, (especially with the move to the US being a massive challenge where the green card process was severely delayed and my normal life was put on hold for over a year), this COV-19 pandemic experience feels somewhat familiar, metaphorically speaking but definitely still a place I have never been before. I remember telling my husband that for some reason, this “disorientation” feels very familiar to me. I feel like I am back to those places emotionally where I experienced Culture Shock in the past. It’s like dejavu of those “awkward” and skewed spaces. It’s a strange kind of comfort I must admit.

Because my world has been tilted so many times in the past and I have (by God’s grace) found “new life” through embracing the unknown of my transitions, I know deep inside me that “you and I will eventually get to a place of thriving”.

Having said that, I am not naive to think that it will be as soon as we all hope. It may take longer than we think. However, one thing I know is that we are all in the process of cultivating new and necessary inner resources that we will need to function in this “new country” that we have been thrust into.

Should you need to process your “Culture Shock” in this transition, I am here for you.

I wish you well, friends. Keep moving forward.