I thoroughly enjoyed Adriane Stoner’s lecture as I have many
plans to travel in the future. Her lecture brought up several important aspects
of the traveler’s journey. Travelers no longer have to wait long periods of
time due to the accessibility of internet and of mobile technology, something I
had problems with when I traveled to Canada. Because of the widespread use of
this technology and social media, this interrupts with the natural process of
culture shock. Culture shock forces the traveler to be uncomfortable, but
through this discomfort, better adjusts to their new surroundings.
I personally believe that everyone nowadays is completely
overtaken with social media and that no one knows how to hold a normal
conversation anymore, so I think it is safe to say that I do think that the use
of technology today interferes with culture shock. I think that people allow
themselves to be brainwashed and occupied with social media too much, so much
as to miss out on important events within their lives. I understand travelling
and being in a new setting and being uncomfortable because I have been there.
However, if you put yourself in that setting, you have to take out the most
that you can and learn and grow as a person.
I can’t truly say that culture shock hit me badly when I
travelled to Toronto. I was definitely in the honeymoon phase for the whole
trip, which lasted a week. I was extremely excited to be out of the country, as
it had been my first time and I was just ecstatic to be seeing so many cool
things. I noticed many things like the fact that everyone spoke French and also
there was a slower way of life than in the US. Although I had travelled outside
of the country, I noticed that I had an even more culture shocking experience
when I travelled just three hours south from where I lived.
I grew up in Chicago. Chicago and fast-paced life is pretty
much all I know. My friend invited me down to her house for the weekend two
weeks ago. She only lives three hours away, but it felt like I was on a whole
different planet. She lives in a town of only five hundred people. Driving
down, I was most definitely in honeymoon phase as I thought it was adorable and
rustic. Then once I met the people, I was very uncomfortable. Everybody was
very clique-ish and there were definitely a few stares thrown my way. They made
it extremely known to me that I didn’t fit in there. My experience just proves
that a traveler to a foreign place doesn’t have to go far or stay long to fully
succumb to the effects of culure shock.
Ashley C.
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