Anthropology: Shock and People Essay examples

Submitted By mellindalim
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Culture shock is a term used to explain “the shock, the confusion and insecurity that many people feel when living in an unfamiliar culture” (text 34). It is usually described as the inability to grasp thenew culture which, cause disruption in knowing what is right or wrong and in return, affects a person’s view towards the society. Culture shocks affect immigrants. In my case, I experienced culture shock when I immigrated to Canada which has different laws and many other ‘cultural features’ in the social environment(text 35). I experience culture shock every time I travel between Vancouver and
Indonesia.
One culture shock that I encountered in Canada is the food. Living in a new environment makes it hard for me to adapt to the foods especially since western countries like Canada have a lot of fast food restaurants compared to Indonesia, which is in South East Asia. Local people here from my point of view, seems to lead a busy lifestyle as they tend to buy fast food instead of savoring a proper meal as most people in my country do. Moreover, in Indonesia, there are many varieties of food that can be found in restaurants, public markets, and shops whereas the options here are quite limited. This adversely affected me as it changed my lifestyle completely. As a result of such a culture shock, I cannot eat well which in turn causes me to become unhealthy and to fall sick easily. Hence, it is quite difficult for me to change my diet during my stay in Vancouver, affecting me mentally and physically.
The second factor that affects me when I am in Vancouver is the culture. For example, back in Indonesia, homosexuality is considered wrong and cannot be tolerated as the country is a Muslim country. However, Canada’s law allows same sex marriages and most of the people in society accept homosexuality. Having been raised in Indonesia for sixteen years has enforced ethnocentrism on me, believing that my culture is the best. As a result I had a hard time accepting the fact, and the differences in the law and way of life in Canada. This causes me to become ‘uncomfortable and insecure’ and
‘constantly questioning the way of life’ (text 35). However, after sometime, I have been able to adapt, and accept the culture in Canada. This led me to feel more comfortable living in Canada. The issue of values also affects me. Since Canada has a very different culture than Indonesia, the people have 3 different values, different mindsets and a different way of life from me. For example, from what I have experienced so far here, people around me do not place much importance on religion, whereas in Indonesia, religion is a major factor of people's lives. Thus, growing up, I have been led to believe that religion plays a key role in a person’s life, which is contradictory of what most people in
Vancouver
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