CULTURE SHOCK
Culture shock is real and can significantly impact
your stay in Kenya if you’re not prepared. You may
at times feel a range of emotions from excitement,
awe, anxiety, loneliness and depression. Early on it
is easy to romanticise life in rural Kenya and it can
be easy to fall in love with an idea of the village
that may not last. Conversely, it is easy to feel
very isolated, especially if you are travelling alone
and experiencing difficulties in communicating
or understanding the local culture. You may feel
anxiety about getting sick, frustration at the
different pace of life in the village, or any number
of other feelings that you wouldn’t normally
experience at home. All of these feelings are
perfectly normal and can be easily managed with
a bit of preparation.
As with any type of stress, culture shock may
manifest itself both physically and emotionally.
There are some things you can do to help minimise
the effect culture shock has on you. First, be
prepared to be out of your comfort zone. It may
also help to be more flexible than you would
be at home, and be prepared for frustrations.
Try to go with the flow of things and see things
from a different perspective- you just may learn
something new!
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