Culture Shock

Apparently “culture shock” is inevitable. According to psychologists there are four distinct phases of culture shock. The first on is the “tourist or honeymoon phase” in which the person is enthralled with the new country. Everything is wonderful and interesting; nothing can go wrong. After the newness wears off, the person will enter “emptiness or rejection phase.” This is characterized by a distain for the culture they have just entered. They will have a bad attitude about life in general. They will be moody and depressed and want to leave the culture and go home. Psychologists go so far as to say it is the “crisis in the ‘disease’ of culture shock.” It depends on the person as to how long they remain in this phase, but some will never get out of it. The third phase is the “conformist phase” in which the person begins to adapt to the culture. They find humor in what they once hated and the crisis is over. They can tolerate the cultural differences and even begin to enjoy them. Finally, a person entered the “assimilation phase” or complete adjustment. In this phase the person accepts the food, drinks and habits of the culture and begins to even prefer them to what they previously had known. They realize that there are just different ways to live; it’s not that one is better than the other, just different. Psychologists say that few newcomers attain this final stage of adjustment.
After hearing this for the umpteenth time some people on my team began to resist what was being taught. While I saw it as a way of expressing and understanding emotions that I may eventually feel, some felt that the inevitability of culture shock was wrong. And after some deep discussions and disagreements, I think I have come to realize that these phases do not necessarily have to be. These phases were taught to us as inevitable; that we will go through each phase for sure, it is only a matter of how long we will be in each phase that may vary.
But why do we have to reject the culture we have entered? Can we not pray against that and strive to initially understand that this culture is different and seek to find out how to love what is different instead of dwelling on the negatives of the differences? Especially as Christians we should not be allowed to dwell in the negative! These people are just as much God’s children as we are, and their culture is beautiful in His eyes. Why is it necessary that we distain their culture before we can appreciate it? God is greater than that and as we seek to love as He loves, shouldn’t we able to move past feelings of resentment and approach people through His love. We are not our own anyway; we are Christ’s, and He calls us to that higher standard. Through Him we should be able to avoid the “rejection phase” and move into appreciating the culture we have entered with the lens of Christ Jesus, who is ruler over ALL.
I am not saying that theses phases don’t carry any weight. I think that for many people, these phases are nearly inevitable. Many of the psychologists who determined and defined these phases were simply putting into words the emotions that most people entering a new culture experience, and there is nothing wrong with that. My struggle with this lies is that it is assumed that we can just sit back and acknowledge that we are frustrated and yet do nothing about it. It is just a phase, and it will pass. No! Instead of just acknowledging these feelings of discomfort and venting, I should acknowledge them in order to better combat them. As a believer, I have hope in Christ, and hopefully that will empower me to be able to dismiss my feelings of rejection and rise above. He can do immeasurably more than we can ever ask or imagine! To Him be the glory. This adventure we are on is not about us, it is about Him.
God did not call me to Russia to mope in self-pity, but to reach out of myself and love others. How can I love others when I am focused on myself? Yes, we can and should lower our expectations, but we cannot lower our expectations of God! He will strengthen us to love this culture, to rise above ourselves and seek Him in all things. We can recognize where we may be weak, but we need to constantly be reminded that where we are weak, there He is strong. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.