Going as a tourist to a foreign city or country for a short period of time can be fun, but living and studying there for longer than a few months is a completely different experience. You get to know the place and the people on a much deeper level. At the same time, you will have to deal with some physical, mental, and social challenges. Even though living in a foreign country can sometimes be frustrating, it can also be very rewarding. The majority of people who live and study in the United States for an extended period of time go home feeling positive about their experience and believe that the time spent abroad was beneficial both academically and personally. The information below may help ease your transition.

Jet Lag

Depending upon where you are coming from, one of the first adjustments you will have to face after your arrival in the United States is "jet lag." Jet lag is the physical shock of your body adjusting to a new time zone. Its intensity will depend upon how many time zones you have crossed during your travel to the United States . While your body is adjusting to a new daily rhythm, you may experience headaches, disorientation, sleeplessness, or sleepiness. Many people find that for every hour of time difference, it takes one day to completely overcome the effects of jet lag. However, you may find that you are through the worst of it in about half that time. After this period of adjustment, you should be able to function normally and follow a regular daily schedule.

There are a number of things you can do to help yourself through the transition. Attempt, as much as possible, to follow the normal eating and sleeping patterns of your new time zone. Resist taking naps in the middle of the day since it will make it more difficult to sleep at night and will only serve to prolong your jet lag. Instead, take a walk, exercise, or plan activities with friends during the day when you find you are tired. Exposure to sunlight or other light during the day can also help your body's clock to reset. Because of jet lag, it is recommended that you arrive in the United States at least a few days before the start of classes to permit your body to get adapted to a new time zone.

Language Problems

Speaking a foreign language in a classroom is one thing, but living in a society where you have to use this language on a daily basis is completely different. Here are some language problems you may encounter while in the United States :

• You might not understand the local accent right away. Regional accents vary greatly in the United States . In a group of people from all corners of the United States , Americans can usually easily pick out who is from Boston , New York , the Midwest , or the South, just by the way they speak. Give yourself time to get used to the local accent, and in time you will probably find yourself speaking in the same way.
• Americans might not understand you right away. You will also have your own accent and you might use a different vocabulary. Try to speak slowly at first to make sure you are understood. Do not be shy to ask others to speak slowly if you have trouble understanding them.
• Americans use a lot of slang and jargon in their speech. Their language is very colorful and full of imagery and it might take some time to completely understand it.
• Humor, wit, and sarcasm are an integral part of American English. Some international students have trouble adapting to this informal style of conversation or understanding whether the person they are speaking with is being serious or not. This, however, should be interpreted as a mark of friendliness rather than a show of disrespect.
• You might not know all of the abbreviations and technical terms used in your study program or workplace. Terms such as "poli sci" for political science, "dorms" for dormitories, or "TA" for teaching assistant, are just a few examples of campus slang you will encounter. The abbreviation is often the first syllable of the word or, if two or more words are together, their initials. If you do not understand a word or an abbreviation, simply ask the meaning.

Give yourself time to adapt to the language and do not hesitate to ask people to repeat what they have said, speak slowly, or explain what they mean. It would be wise to carry a small dictionary with you in case of emergency. Most importantly, do not be afraid to make mistakes. This will all be part of your learning experience.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is the process of adjusting to a new country and a new culture, which may be dramatically different from your own. You no longer see the familiar signs and faces of home. Climate, food, and landscapes, as well as people and their ways all seem strange to you. Your English may not be as good as you expected. You may suffer, to an unexpected degree, from the pressures of U.S. academic life and the fast pace of life.

If you feel this way, do not panic. Culture shock is a normal reaction. As you become adjusted to U.S. culture and attitudes and begin to know your way around, you will start to adapt to and understand your new surroundings and way of life.

International students experience culture shock in varying degrees; some hardly notice it at all, while others find it terribly difficult to adapt. There are usually four stages of culture shock that you will experience.

The "Honeymoon" Stage

The first few weeks in your new home will be very exciting. Everything will be new and interesting, and you will likely be so busy getting settled and starting classes that you may hardly notice that you miss home.

Irritability and Hostility

As you begin to realize that you are not on vacation and that this is where you live, you might experience anger and hostility. Sometimes you may feel hostile toward Americans and their way of doing things, and even trivial irritations may cause hostility to flare.

Understanding and Adjustment

In time you will come to better understand your new environment and will find, maybe even unconsciously, that you are adjusting to your new home. You will experience less frequent feelings of hostility and irritability.

Integration and Acceptance

Finally, you will find that you have come to feel that, at least on some level, you consider your university or college and your new town, your home. You will have made friends and will feel that your community accepts you just as you have accepted it.

Homesickness

You miss your homeland, your family, and your friends. You frequently think of home, call or write letters to your family and friends often, and maybe even cry a lot.

It is good to keep in contact with home, but do not let this get in the way of meeting new friends and enjoying your new home. Make an effort to meet new people, in your residence hall, in class, and through the international student center. You might also want to join a committee, interest group, or sports team on campus or in your city. Find one thing with which you are comfortable ? for example, music, food, or an activity ? and make this the starting point toward making yourself feel at home in America.

Hostility

Minor irritations make you unusually angry, and you feel life in the United States is the cause of your problem. You feel your expectations have not been met.

Dependence

You become dependent on fellow nationals, friends, or your international student adviser and feel you cannot achieve anything by yourself. You are scared of doing things by yourself without somebody else's help or approval.

Loss of self-confidence

You feel everything you do is wrong, that nobody understands you, that you have trouble making friends. You start to question the way you dress and think because you are afraid not to fit in.

If you feel everything you do is wrong, ask for feedback from someone you can trust, such as a friend or your international student adviser. What may be wrong is not how others perceive you, but how you perceive yourself. You should not be worried about the way you look, act, or think. The United States is a very diverse country and Americans are used to people with different looks or ways of behaving. Most important, do not lose your sense of humor.

Values Shock

You might find yourself facing situations that are not accepted in your culture and have trouble getting accustomed to them. For example, relationships between men and women, the informality of American life, political or religious attitudes, or the social behavior of Americans may seem amoral or unacceptable to you.

Look for information on the things that surprise you or make you feel uncomfortable, and try to remain flexible, respectful, and open-minded. This can be a great occasion to learn more about topics that might be less popular or taboo in your country. Try to enjoy the new cultural diversity and the various cultural points of view. It might be helpful to talk to someone from the same culture or religion who has been living in the United States for a while to discuss how this person has dealt with values shock.

Other strategies to cope with the stress of culture shock include:

• Make sure you know what to expect before you arrive. Carefully read this guide and other books and magazines on the United States to find out more about American life and customs. It would be a good idea also to read up a bit on U.S. history to find out more about American people, their government, their national heroes, their holidays, and so on. This will help you orient yourself physically and mentally when you arrive in the United States .
• Eat well, sleep well, and take good care of yourself.
• Exercise is a great way to alleviate stress and tension. Join a sports club or pursue some outdoor activities.
• Find some time to walk around your new neighborhood. This might help you develop a sense of home as you find the local stores, parks, activity centers, and so on. Try to carry a small map of the city with you so you will not get needlessly lost very often.
• Keep in touch with family and friends to tell them about your experiences.
• Take some time to relax. Listen to music, read a book not related to your studies, and go to bed early once in a while.
• Do not lose your sense of humor. Laugh at your mistakes rather than getting depressed about them.

Getting Involved in the Community

There are many community organizations. Some offer short-term loan funds, others have special holiday hospitality programs, and still others operate "speakers' bureaus," which arrange visits by international students to local schools and organizations. A community group affiliated with your campus may offer training courses for spouses, language classes, and even a "meet-and-greet" program for new arrivals. The important point to remember is that these organizations were formed to help international students and their families, and they are almost always made up of volunteers. They want to meet you and your dependents and assist you in any way they can. If you need any of their services, do not hesitate to use them. Below are just two of the many types of programs you can participate in or join.

Host Family Programs
These programs match a U.S. family with an international student for the purpose of friendship and culture sharing. Many students believe that host families provide housing, but this is not usually the case. Rather, the program arranges for students to visit a family's home for meals, especially during special occasions such as the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays. Sometimes, if the relationship becomes close, a student may visit his or her host family much more often. Typically, a host family program offers the opportunity for friendship with a family and for learning about U.S. family life and culture, as well as a chance to share your culture with that family. If your community offers a host family program, you should certainly consider participating in it.

Clothing Banks
Some community programs organize "clothing banks," a collection of used clothing donated by people who want to assist newcomers to this country. Many of these banks exist in the northern areas of the United States where the cold winter climate requires heavy clothing that some international students may not have when they arrive. Since this type of clothing can be very expensive, such banks serve a useful purpose, especially for students with little extra money.

If an Emergency Occurs at Home

Although it is not probable, it is possible that while you are in the United States , a medical, financial, or family problem could arise at home, and you will need to decide how to respond to it.

Fortunately, e-mail and the telephone usually make communications with home relatively easy. Consult with your family or friends to find out the seriousness of the problem before you decide too hastily what you should do. Here are a few things to consider in such situations:

Academic Issues: If you decide to leave, make sure your academic work will not suffer. You should meet with your academic adviser, the international student adviser, and (for master's and doctoral students) your thesis director. If you miss a significant amount of work, a professor may grant you an "incomplete" as a final grade, meaning that you will have a chance to make up the work in the next semester. You might also be allowed to drop some classes, but in that case you would not get a grade or credit for the work done.

Financial Issues: First of all, a trip back home might be expensive and could seriously impact your budget, especially if it is during peak seasons. Secondly, if you leave for

a long period, your tuition as well as the status of scholarships and grants might be affected. If you need to depart for an extended period, make sure to contact your university's financial aid office to discuss your situation. Your international student adviser can help you consider your options and can also help you deal with the university's administration.

Reentry Into the United States : Whenever you leave the country, you should check with your international student adviser to make sure you have the appropriate visa and documents to reenter the United States . If your visa expires while you are gone, if you had a single-entry visa, or if you are away for an extended period, you might need to reapply at your local U.S. embassy for a valid student visa.

Family Issues: Sometimes families are reluctant to inform students living abroad of emergencies at home in order not to burden them. But not knowing fully what is going on at home can be frustrating for an international student. You and your family should discuss this issue before you leave to define what you will expect from each other during your stay in the United States .

You Are Not Alone: If an emergency situation does arise, you can expect to receive support from your international student adviser, school officials, and friends. They are there to listen to you, and they can be helpful as you decide what to do.

Related Links

Information on American Society and Values
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/