Danzel Oliver W/C 851
Anthropology 2322
Dr. Ryan
7/23/14
Don’t allow something you’re not use to shock you
When growing up in a small city such as Longview Texas, you get acclimated to the area. I lived there most of my life and I can say I know the city like the back of my hand. This is a slow paced town, everyone knows everyone, and it’s not difficult to get around. You learn the back roads, we all shop at the same stores, and the high school football players are celebrities. I was in a predominately black community, that was infested with gangs, drugs, and violence, but all this went out the window when I found my on a flight heading to LAX, to see my grandmother in Los Angeles California, South Central to be exact. I knew that something’s may be similar, but it’s hard to accept change. I packed my bags, took a deep breath, and boarded the flight. Not like I had a choice anyway. When the flight attendant said “20 minutes till landing” I began to look out the window, and all I could see was highways, cars, and communities everywhere. Things really didn’t hit me until I stepped off the plane to dry windy air, I felt as if I was dropped off in a desert. We then was in traffic for hours and I felt like everyone’s driving ability was tested each and every day, I presume that they didn’t understand the concept of being a friendly driver. At this point I realized that I was going through culture shock, because 3 symptoms instantly came into play. 1). I was extremely irritated 2). I was definitely facing homesickness 3). Lastly was fear of the worst happening. I was not use to this feeling, because I’m use to traveling. I’ve traveled over the United States frequently such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, these are only a few so I don’t know why this place was doing this. The closer we approach my grandmother’s community I started to see things that I was not use to in Longview, such as the vast amounts of Hispanics, homeless people, and people walking everywhere. In Longview you can walk around a community, but driving is always preferred, but in Los Angeles you walk or catch the bus. Cars was a luxury I assume, but that for the fact I was in a poverty stricken area. Deep down I was screaming for help, and began to question why I was in this predicament. Yes, I was extremely happy to see my grandmother and family, but this situation was so different. I placed in my mind that I will make the best of the situation, and mine as well go site seeing like the old days. Going to Venice beach and seeing the beautiful women, or head to Hollywood and walk around, or just cruise around with my brother and cousin. A few situations that definitely alleviated my culture shock was the fact that Marijuana was legalized, so you see all the shops and advertisements. This was a shocker, for the simple fact that in Texas, you will go to jail for possession. Then the amount of homeless
