On 17th May 2017, Danmar Computers organized second workshops within the project SPREAD – Sharing good practices for European mobility activities development. The workshops were proceeded by LTTA training, that took place in Plymouth (UK), in May 2017.
The workshops concerned cultural differences and ways and methods of coping with culture shock.
15 participants, representatives of universities, associations and organisations working with mobility projects, took part in the workshops. They were mostly professionals, working with young people and mobility projects on everyday basis, and having experience in dealing with culture shock. Much attention was also paid to intercultural communication, which, in spite of appearances, makes it very troublesome for coordinators of mobility programs.
Participants, based on their own experiences, have developed a list of signs of cultural shock: the perceptible difference in behavior of other people and the confrontation of their values and principles with those of other groups, the pressure to adapt to the new situation, the “obvious becoming nonobvious “, the longing for home and loved ones, general confusion and disorientation, anxiety, depression, feeling unsecure or lack of acceptance. Although the majority of people traveling abroad speak English, communication becomes the basis of cultural shock. Very helpful in this case is to learn the language of the country at least at basic level.
