My best advice to first time travelers is to not have any expectations. Expectations lead to the worst cases of "culture shock".
Every time someone is preparing to go on an international trip and are wanting to experience the real life of the nation they are going to, I have one bit of advice that I ALWAYS give... "have no expectations!"
How is is even possible to have no expectations? Well, for starters, don't try to imagine what it's going to be like or guess what foods you're going to eat or what the people are going to be like... or that anything will go exactly as you expect it to.
In food - that's the most important one to have no expectations. Even just crossing the border into Mexico you see a huge difference in the kind of Mexican food you can get there as you can get in the States. Some foods don't exist at all (does that make them American or fusion?) and others don't look or taste anything at all like the original dish (I'm looking straight at you fast food tacos). If those differences are so obvious in such close proximity to the origin nation, imagine how we can get it twisted with nations we have to travel even further to! Even Chinatown, Koreatown, etc don't get it quite right since they are also catering to the local taste buds. I can tell you from experience that Chinese, Korean and Japanese food are MUCH different than what we have in the States. In fact, Korean food in China is different than Korean food in Korea and vice versa.
(The most important part about food is that in many nations meal times are leisurely. It's not uncommon for meals to last HOURS and waiters/waitresses don't rush you through. Also, it may or may not be offensive to your host to NOT try a food that you are being offered. Just try it.)
In travel - Transportation as you travel may be quite different than what you're used to. When I first moved to China, the most common ways to get around were bus or something similar to the tuk tuk (both electric and manual) and were considerably slower than what you might be used to BUT taxis were much more available than the suburbs of America - and reasonably priced, too! Now they have apps similar to Uber as well as the buses and taxis and it's more common to see people driving their own cars rather than jumping in the back of a tuk tuk. Imagine if I gone to China with expectations of getting around as easily as in the States! I didn't have the opportunity to get my own car - and eventually got a bike so that I could get around more quickly in my part of town.
In people - We all have predispositions to "know" what people from different nations are like. We go to these nations expecting to be treated a certain way or to see people living a certain way. Try to rid your mind of these predispositions - they're most likely wrong. What you know of people is what you've seen on TV or what people have told you from their own biases or stories they've heard. Take everything with a grain of salt. Also be mindful of the fact that a person's language (and how it's spoken) does not equate to who they are. Many people think Chinese are argumentative or mean because when they are excited about a subject they speak in a loud and demonstrative voice. I bet you they weren't having an angry conversation when you thought they were! And just because Japanese speak in a polite, quiet tone it doesn't mean that they are subservient or don't have opinions/drive/thoughts. Stop putting people in a box and you'll find that it'll be so much easier to make deep, everlasting friendships with the people you encounter during your time abroad.
I challenge you to go on your next adventure with an open mind. When you go with expectations, you travel as a tourist and OBSERVE the culture. When you go without expectations, you go with the ability to be INVOLVED in the culture. Your adventures will be more broad and your time will be more enlightening. I'd love to hear YOUR stories of travels without expectations and how it enriched your life!
Comments