Adriana M. López Berríos M.A., English Specialist
Have you ever noticed that when you travel, you learn something new about the culture of the place you’re visiting? Sometimes it’s fun or interesting, but sometimes it can be something annoying or frustrating. When we learn something that confuses, annoys, and/or frustrates us about a different culture, that is what is known as Culture Shock.
Big or small, usually we experience some form of culture shock when we visit a new country with a different way of life. In my case, I experienced culture shock many times in the four years I spent living and working in the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague. The Czech Republic, unlike Puerto Rico, is a landlocked country in the center of the European continent.
Prague is a fascinating and beautiful city. It’s known for being a cultural hub, home to the oldest and biggest castle complex, Prague Castle, its historical center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s also the city with the highest beer consumption per person worldwide! Taking this and the fact that Czech Republic was a communist country from 1948 to 1989 and has only been a democracy for 36 years, it’s needless to say that there’s bound to be a lot of cultural differences between Czechs and Puerto Ricans.
One of the first things I would say made me feel culturally shocked, was something as simple as stair and electric escalator etiquette. Here in Puerto Rico, we don’t really pay attention to where people are standing. On the other hand, in the Czech Republic it is extremely important to always stay to the right, as people who want to pass or are walking in the opposite direction will do so from the left. If you do not follow this simple, unspoken rule, people trying to pass will not just go around you, instead they will ask you to move to the right (mostly in an annoyed and frustrated tone), will give you a weird look, and immediately assume you’re an inconsiderate tourist.
This behavior, at first, seemed very silly and unimportant, but with time you learn to adapt and understand why it happens. I believe that this is precisely what makes experiencing different cultures so interesting. Each one comes with its own set of rules, from how to show respect to others, what is and isn’t acceptable, and, of course, which side you should be on when using stairs and electric escalators.
So, next time you go somewhere new, try and see what you can learn from culture shock.
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Image Credits: Featured Image: EFMD Global Blog «The repercussions of Reverse Culture Shock (RCS)» 1. Google Maps 2. Adriana M. López Berríos
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