Uhhhhh!!!!!! Some guys here are so creeeeeepy! Yes, you're a good dancer and I enjoyed dancing with you. No, I don't want to ride on your motorcycle and go back to your apartment that is close by. No, I don't like the way you are looking at me. Please stop.
I don't know if it just me, but I feel like the social scene in this part of CR is very different than in The Central Valley. One of my theories is that it is because of the tourism. Because the tourists come and go every few days, the men here are used to one night stands and relationships being fleeting and temporary. I think this concept mixed with the machismo culture creates this sense of instant gratification with no consequences. This causes the women to behave differently, as well. The women seem to be more jealous, xenophobic, and revealing in the way they dress. I guess this makes sense if they are responding to the actions of the men. Why would they trust foreigners if their boyfriends are using the tourists the way they do. Of course, this is a generalization and a reaction to my experiences last night. I am reminded as I watch people I know go by on the street that there are some really kind and sweet people here.
I think it might be more difficult to make friends with people my own age in this part of the country, but maybe I am just looking in the wrong places. I mean, I don't make friends at the bars in Tucson, either... It's just that this town is so small. Where else will I meet people?
I guess I just need to decide what is most important to me - do I need to feel like I fit into the social scene or are the other things I am doing here enough? I know it is normal to not feel like you fit into a different culture after being there for a while. At first, it is like a vacation... but as you get deeper, you begin to notice the little things and can feel more like an outsider. I learned about this in my course when we talked about "culture shock."
Culture shock is very different than most people understand it to be. It is not something that happens right away, suddenly when you arrive in a new culture. It is something that builds and climaxes over a few months. It is not whether or not someone experiences it, but when, how much, and for how long. Eventually, it evens out to a new normal but it can take several months.
It is one thing to be told this, and another to experience it. I am trying to just ride it out like riding a wave... see the experience for what it is and not freak out when I get knocked under the water - know that I will resurface after some time and catch another wave. I mean, I didn't embark on this journey for things to be fun and easy. I am on it to experience, grow, be proud of myself, and enjoy what I am doing.
Good description of culture shock. Most people don't realize what it means. Good realizations. We are proud of you.
ReplyDeleteI wonder when one returns "home" after being out of the country for awhile, I wonder, does it feel like culture shock again? It seems getting acclimated to one type of living could make the previous normal way of life seem abnormal. Perhaps the time to get accustomed to being back "home" takes much less time?
ReplyDeleteGood to see that you are adjusting so well and learning so very much, Moriah! I had your bar experience when I traveled to Mexico City, just out of high school. It was the very same. I had to have la profesora explain to the young man why I was not feeling comfortable with his invitations. I even dyed my hair dark brown when traveling there to counterract the whole current feeling about blondes, especially American blondes. Seems funny now.