Culture Shock
When you leave your home culture, you separate yourself from the people and circumstances that have defined your role in society. It is possible that you may experience a loss of some of your identity. The impact of this change can be disorienting. It is called "culture shock." Culture shock can manifest itself in a number of ways.
Symptoms
Some of the signs of culture shock are:
Fits of anger over minor inconveniences
Irritability
Extreme homesickness
Withdrawal from people who are different from you
A new and intense feeling of loyalty to your own culture
Compulsive eating or a loss of appetite
Boredom
A need for excessive periods of sleep
Headaches
Upset stomach
Excessive concern over minor pains
Depression
Loss of ability to work effectively
Unexplainable fits of crying
Marital stress
Exaggerated cleanliness
Feeling sick much of the time
Difficulty concentrating
This is a long list! You do not need to suffer from every item on the list in order to experience culture shock. Only a few of the items may apply to you -- maybe only a couple of them. Of course, if you have a pre-existing condition (such as headaches or upset stomachs), it's a good idea to have it. checked by a physician before deciding that you're experiencing a symptom of culture shock.
Remedies
We cannot guarantee a cure for culture shock There are several things you can do to ease the symptoms. Trying several of the following suggestions is probably more effective than trying just one. And you may even prevent some of the symptoms of culture shock by following some of these suggestions before you notice any symptoms.
Keep active. Spend time outside of your room or apartment. Observe Americans in their own culture. Go to shopping centers, parks, libraries, and sporting events. Watch. Listen. Learn. This process increases your knowledge of Americans and makes it easier to understand differences in habits, customs, and social practices.
Make American friends. Get acquainted with Americans. Ask questions. Be willing to answer questions about how you do things in your country, so that you and your American friends can make interesting comparisons. It also helps to make friendships with people from your own culture if they are available and compare your impressions with theirs.
Read. . You may also wish to read as a way of understanding American culture. Membership at the local library is usually free, for example, and you can find hundreds of American magazines that you may read at no cost. You may sit in the library and browse as long as you wish.
Exercise. Find some physical activity that you can enjoy. Exercise can be an effective way to lessen worry and depression. Many Americans, you will discover, like to be active. They like to run or walk along pathways in the city parks or on the streets. They also like organized games. You can find facilities for tennis, handball, racquetball soccer, volleyball, badminton, basketball, martial arts, and aerobic classes. Your culture back home may or may not value physical activity very highly, but medical research has shown numerous advantages to a consistent and vigorous exercise program. If you decide to become more active, you will want to check with a physician in the Student Health Center before beginning a serious exercise schedule.
Join groups. Your adjustment to American culture will be easier if you participate in campus organizations. There are many student groups on campus. The Foreign Student Office can tell you more about student nationality clubs and groups. In addition, the campus newspaper announces the meetings of many campus groups. You can attend most of these clubs once or twice just to see if you're interested. If you're not, you do not need to return. There is no obligation to join.
Work on your English. One of the most important steps you can take to ease your adjustment is to improve your English. It is much easier to learn the details of American culture when you know how the language is used. Listen for unusual or new phrases. Ask about ~slang" terms you don't understand. Most Americans will gladly explain words or terms that sound new to you. So don't be afraid to ask questions when you don't understand.
Consider obtaining a host family. A host family can usually help a great deal and can listen to your problems. The Foreign Student Office has applications for a host family program that is sponsored by a local Christian group. They can provide you with more details about the program. You may also get acquainted with a particular family on your own. This may take longer than an organized program because it takes time to make friends. Either way, it will help your adjustment if you can get acquainted with an entire family.
Introduce yourself to other international students. There are hundreds of other international students on campus. They are experiencing many of the same adjustment problems you will be facing. Talk with them about how they're managing the changes. The International Student Center is one place to meet students from other cultures. You may want to join an international student organization and attend some of the activities.
Remember your family. If you've brought your spouse or family with you, remember that they will be experiencing culture shock as well. They, too, will be making difficult adjustments. It will help their transition if you can encourage them to take many of the same steps you might be taking -- keeping active, making friends, reading, exercising, and attending various activities and events in your new area.
If you left your family back home, they will want to hear from you. Writing or calling regularly will help to maintain your relationship with them.
Be patient. Culture shock is something that most international students experience in some way while they're here. Remind yourself that the problem is not permanent. Simply realize what is happening to you, and give yourself time to get over it.

Quick Tips
for building self confidence
Self confidence is the central issue of personal growth. Tools for Transformation recommends the best ways to enhance the quality of your life, and so it was important to us that we find the most effective means for you to tackle this issue of self confidence.
Everybody could do with a confidence boost sometimes, so to start with, here are a few tips...
1) Feel Good When You Want
For times when you need a quick boost to your self confidence or self esteem, find 3 things that make you feel good. These could be memories of good times, a piece of music, a holiday souvenir, or a person's face - use photos if it helps. Practise thinking about them and bringing them to mind.
Because of the way emotions 'attach' themselves to memories, you will quickly train yourself to feel good when you want - a great help in developing self confidence that lasts.
2) Beat Self Consciousness
Learn how to keep your attention off yourself - self consciousness is the No.1 enemy of self confidence. You can do this easily by following these steps...
a) If you notice you have become self-conscious, (you can usually tell because you start to feel anxious), choose something 'everyday' you can see and study it in detail. For example: examine a door, look at the different textures and shades of colour, wonder about who made it and how and so on. The important thing is that you're learning how to keep your attention off yourself.
b) If you feel self-conscious in a social situation, it's usually because you don't have enough to do! Focus on what your purpose in the situation is. Whether you're there to:
find out if you like the other people in the situation
make others feel comfortable
find out some information
make business contacts
and so on...
It's easy to feel self-conscious if you have nothing to do, and much more difficult if your attention is occupied by a task.
Think how comfortable you have been with others when you're all working toward a common goal. The common goal of socialising could be making friends, it could be the exchange of mutually beneficial information, it could be whatever you want it to be!
3) Don't Take Undue Criticism - Even From Yourself !
Challenge your own assumptions. For example, take note that:
a) Confident-looking people have bad moments too.
b) Just because you feel under-confident, doesn't mean other people can tell.
c) If you're saying things to yourself like "You're no good at anything" then rest assured, you're wrong. Everyone can compose a sentence, get successfully to the store, eat without choking. Don't let yourself make sweeping statements about yourself - in the long run it is this sort of thing that can really damage your self image.
Building self esteem is not just about thinking good of yourself, it's about not thinking bad for no reason!
d) Just because you have felt bad about yourself in the past doesn't mean you're always going to feel that way. I have seen hundreds of people surprise themselves once they have learned how to build self confidence in a way that it stays built!
Persevere and don't expect everything at once.