Study abroad – Postgraduate Digital Prospectus

Coping with culture shock on your year abroad

Elias Koenig on September 9, 2024

I am currently a third year Durham languages student and as part of my degree, I am in Italy for 8 months working as an English Language Assistant (ELA). During my time abroad, I have constantly found myself in disbelief at how lucky I am to be living out such a fantastic opportunity – one that without Durham would not have been possible for me to do.

Many of us year abroad students have been guilty, at some stage, of thinking that this year would be a walk in the park. However, in this blog I want to be realistic about some of the challenges that a student may face on this difficult, but rewarding, adventure.

Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

After studying Italian for 2 years, I naively thought that I would be familiar enough with the culture to settle in without any problems. I soon found out, however, that culture shock is a very real thing. Learning a culture through living it is an experience that cannot be learnt from the textbooks. From discovering that supermarkets here in Naples have their own (slightly chaotic) etiquette that is so far removed from what we have in England, to discovering that there are innumerable rules to know when it comes to ordering a coffee (the most important being that a cappuccino should never be ordered after 11am!), I certainly had to take a couple of weeks to adjust to this new way of life.

So here are some of my top tips, for anyone embarking on their year abroad, on surviving and thriving when the culture shock hits.

Keep an open mind

In my opinion, the worst thing that you can do is move abroad and not be willing to try to learn and embrace the new culture. You must accept the differences and be open to learning from them to truly make the most of the year abroad.

Say YES!

Keeping positive and saying yes to as much as possible will help you to get a real feel for the local culture. Sometimes different things can be scary but trying them out is not usually a bad thing. Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you from gaining valuable experiences abroad! The more of it you experience, the quicker the shock will fade.

Communicate

Contact with locals and native speakers is a vital way to see the culture through the eyes of someone who is directly connected to it, which can then help you to come to terms with that new style of living. Whether this be through housemates, Erasmus friends or simply just talking to the shop assistants! Make the most out of the mundane activities. Everything you do on your year abroad is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Stay in touch with your close ones from home

Whilst it is important to embrace the new culture of your host country, remember to keep loved ones close so that you don’t feel too alone or isolated. Immersion is important, but so is keeping in contact with those people from home who make you feel at ease.

Don’t be too hard on yourself or put pressure on yourself too quickly

This is something I certainly did. I tried to do too much too quickly and when things were not as I expected, or I was not settling into life by the end of my first week, I felt down and disappointed in myself about it. For example, my first trip to the supermarket was a total disaster! I spent 30 minutes trying to cross a zebra crossing, confused as to why no cars were stopping for me. Then I panicked that I could not find anything on the shelves, that everyone was pushing around and there seemed to be no order. I ended up abandoning my shop and calling it a day. Though, I tell myself the most important thing is that I went back the next day, and the following week and the one after that. Now, it’s something I laugh about. I can’t believe it was ever such a big deal to cross a road and buy some milk.

Culture shock on your year abroad is hard, at first it hits all at once, but over time it does get easier. Things feel natural the more we do them and if we avoid them, they will always seem like a challenge. That is not something you want for you’re your year abroad. So, helping yourself to overcome culture shock, by being prepared, can benefit you in the long run. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, yet also allowing yourself the time to build up the confidence to do so, is key!

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My experience as a visiting PhD scholar

Elias Koenig on July 9, 2024

I am Nara Bueno, a Brazilian researcher from University of Goiás (UFG) and I went to Durham University as a short term PhD researcher (for 6 months). I chose Durham for many reasons, the first one was the warm contact that I had with my professor and advisor and the ease of obtaining information and guidance from the university staff. I also had the opportunity to be supervised by a professor, researcher and activist in Human Rights that I greatly admire, Professor Doctor Alice Nah, that I met previously in a Congress at my University. The other reason is because it is a renowned university worldwide, is highly recognized internationally for its research environment and has a good structure and study spaces.

The Department of Sociology, to which I was accepted, offers constant academic qualification and interaction between students, which allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds: developing tools and knowledge that enriched the research, but also the formation of connections among students, teachers and researchers from all over the world. This interaction allows an interdisciplinary approach which, for me, was important, as it stimulates the expansion of the scientific perspective, as well as innovation and creativity in my work.

Ustinov College for postgraduate students

I was allocated at Ustinov College, exclusively for postgraduate students. The motto of Ustinovians is Strength through diversity. And I could experience exactly these words, because they offer activities curricular and extracurricular that allowed me to learn different points of view such as meeting colleagues from many countries and various areas of knowledge and attending academic discussions at the Seminar Room. The physical structure is amazing (such as the library, classrooms and places to study), the University also uses a software that helps a lot with the appointments (Inkpath). I loved the experience of attending the workshops, since the themes of analysis of the data, until the poetic thinking. Everything was amazing! The only thing that I suggest to change is the policy of access to the university email and other platforms, because after my short time was up, I could not have access anymore.

I highly recommend this experience! I feel like I am returning to my home university with more scientific maturity to research and connected with so many incredible people that also finds the whole world is a big community, full of multicultural beauty.

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Uppsala Summer School 2024

Elias Koenig on July 9, 2024

Durham train station. Destination: adventure.

Our group, consisting of ten students from a range of Master’s programmes and our fearless leader Professor Robert Song, set off for Uppsala, Sweden.

Travelling by train takes longer, but offers much more opportunity for exploration, anecdotes, and building relationships within the team. Being able to have each meal in a different city is a flex you just can’t get when flying!

Slow and deliberate travel allows you to slowly transition through different countries, cultures, and languages, but also gives time for window-gazing and quiet reflection. We had been given a book of environmental essays around the theme of Haste to read for the journey, and had many chats about what it means to act on environmental issues with real urgency without rushing towards unjust solutions.

Three days and nine trains later, our group of eleven arrived in Uppsala. We bonded much more because of the time spent travelling, though the relief to finally arrive and take off our heavy packs was palpable! We were joined the following day by our twelfth member, Dr Simona Capisani, as well as our liaison from CEMUS, Daniel Mossberg.

Sweden seems to be a culture where sustainability is already part of daily life. Nature parks were common and accessible, while the town was riddled with bicycles and pedestrians. Uppsala itself is a small university city with a gorgeous cathedral, not unlike Durham, and the perfect place to call home for a week.

On one of our open days, some of the group visited church ruins and runestones at Sigtuna. The high-rise buildings surrounded by rocky hills and pine woods made us consider the limits to an urban area, and the importance of compact cities to preserve natural environments.

The time spent in the student community garden was very fulfilling. Being part of the natural cycles with our hands dirtied by the earth has instilled us novices with a sense of deeper responsibility and respect for the environment. It has certainly made us keen to get something similar set up in Durham.

Not all learning took place outside in the sunshine though! There was a messy and moving session of bread-making with environmental philosopher, Ryan Carolan, which proved delicious later in the week on pizza night. During the session, we were joined online by one of the editors of Haste, Jakob Grandin, which acted as a conversation guide around urgency and climate.

The lectures on carbonscapes (a collaboration with Durham’s Professor Gavin Bridge) and cultural place-based connections from Magdalena Kuchler and Eva Rüskamp were very thought provoking, especially in the context of (post-) industrial surroundings of Durham. Identity is often tied up in the cultural significance of place, and coming from nearly a dozen countries means that we were able to share some of our personal stories of what place means to us over dinner each night.

The time has flown by, but there are lots of lessons from this trip, both academic and personal. Most powerfully of all, the overarching theme of “More haste means less speed” will propel us towards slow but deliberate actions around environmental problems in our future studies and work.

“Tack” for the adventures!

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Geography field trip to Chicago

Elias Koenig on May 3, 2024

If you are seeking a field trip that offers real-time examples of geographical concepts, the chance to experience a variety of rich cultures all within just one city, plus some fun on the side then I would highly recommend choosing the module ‘Chicago: Sites of Global Change’. It’s not just about the field trip; the lectures and seminars over the whole year cover fascinating themes and scholarly insights which will enrich your overall learning experience.

Why choose a module that has a field trip?

Geography stands out as a subject because it provides field trips where you can witness first-hand the concepts you’ve been studying all year. These trips also offer opportunities to conduct research on topics that truly interest you, thereby enhancing both your knowledge and research abilities. Yet, perhaps the most significant aspect is the chance to meet fellow students from your course whom you may not have crossed paths with otherwise. Sharing ideas and exploring a new city or location together fosters quick and meaningful connections—I’ve certainly formed lifelong friendships during my trip to Chicago!

My fieldtrip diary

Tuesday

We got to Heathrow for our 11am flight just in time and checked in with our student registers, before making our way to Wetherspoons for our last English breakfast. The flight went very smoothly (the film selection was amazing) and we touched down in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport at around 4pm! We went directly to our hotel in the city centre passing American flags, McDonalds, and Targets on our way in. For our first night we had Chicago deep dish for the first time which had mixed reviews, but everyone managed to finish their huge portions of garlic bread, pasta and meatballs and thin crust pizza! After eating ourselves into a food coma we settled in our 4 bed dorm rooms (chosen by us) to try and sleep the jet lag off.

Chicago famous deep dish pizza and spaghetti and meatballs from Pizzeria Due

Then it was time for our first full day in Chicago! For our weeklong trip we had 3 days of activities that had been planned by our professors and teaching staff and then 4 days for our own individual research activities.

Wednesday

We started this day by getting on the ‘L’ which is Chicago’s public transit system, famous for being above the streets around the Loop (the centre of Chicago), eventually making it to Pilsen, a neighbourhood in the Lower West Side of Chicago. We had researched this area extensively in the module beforehand due to its unique rich Latino culture and beautiful murals, so being able to see it in real life was incredible. We got a guided tour of the National Museum of Mexican art before enjoying some authentic Mexican tacos and walking around the Pilsen neighbourhood which is becoming more and more gentrified. We even managed to stumble across the TV show ‘The Bear’ being filmed which was a highlight! We ended the day in Logan Square Library where we split into our groups, decided based on our research topics, to plan our own research days and get in touch with anyone in the city that we thought may be useful to speak to.

An art piece on Mexican immigration from the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen

Thursday

On Thursday, despite the rain and snow, we braved an open top boat tour which took us up and down the Chicago River with a tour guide who gave insights on the architecture and history of the most famous buildings in the city. We then got a tour (on foot), when it had stopped raining from Rachel Weber, a professor at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and author of the book “From Boom to Bubble: How Finance built the New Chicago”. A book which we had studied in the ‘Urban Governance and Neoliberal Chicago’ block of the module. Rachel gave us an updated version of her book with information on how the city’s downtown buildings were being utilized post-Covid. We ended the day with dinner at the famous Time Out market in Fulton Market where we got to speak to some UIC students about their own research.

A view of the Chicago skyline from our boat tour

Friday

On the final day of our scheduled activities, we embarked on a tour of Chinatown, situated on Chicago’s south side. Our itinerary included a visit to the Chinese American Museum, which offered insights into Chinese American identity and the historical significance of Chinatown within the broader context of the city. We paused for lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant, followed by some bubble tea, a first for some of us! We ended our day, by venturing to the magnificent Chicago Cultural Centre in the heart of the city, renowned for its striking architecture and hosting various art exhibitions and cultural events. In the evening, a handful of us fulfilled a long-standing dream by attending a Chicago Bulls basketball game – an unforgettable experience complete with energetic cheerleaders, spirited mascots, and t-shirt cannons!

A Chicago Bulls vs New York Knicks match at the United Centre

Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Over the weekend and into Monday, we carried out our own research, making each individual day unique! My group and I got involved with a litter picking initiative in Pilsen and got to speak to members of the city council and locals. These conversations led to an invitation to visit the City Council building where we conducted an interview with the Director of Housing and Real Estate, directly contributing to our research objectives. We also explored Chicago’s prominent green spaces, observed the final stages of construction of the Obama Presidential Centre and received a tour of the University of Chicago from students themselves. Each evening, we congregated at a restaurant to discuss our research findings and seek guidance from the teaching staff. Throughout our days, we diligently recorded our observations in field notebooks, providing valuable material for further reflection in following days.

Remarkably, our visit coincided with the eclipse on Monday, April 8th, allowing us to witness the remarkable celestial event with special glasses, as the moon obscured 93.9% of the sun.

Looking up at the Solar eclipse (with special glasses) in Milennium Park

Tuesday

On our last day we had sunshine so before our 7-hour flight we decided to hit the beach and have a game of volleyball, tiring ourselves out before we started the long journey home.

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