Ways To Avoid Cultural Clashes While Studying Abroad

It is not very unexpected to face some cultural clashes when you move abroad to study. You have come from a completely different place where the culture that is followed is completely different from what you are going to see in the new country. There will hardly be any similarities. You may find it difficult to adjust at first and may fall into clashes. So are you planning to let this carry on and always stay alien to the new culture? No right? The best human feature is adaption, humans know to adjust to social changes, though it happens with time and not immediately but I am sure you will also be able to blend in. 

But you don’t know how? That is alright. We have mentioned some ways below that you can adopt to settle in and avoid any cultural clashes. 

Make friends with the local population

The first and foremost step into any culture adoption is to get comfortable with the local population. There will be a lot of local students in your class, that have been born and brought up in the same country. They will have a very good hold of their culture and must be following the same. If you want to gain knowledge about the local culture or need help to see through all its attributes, there would be no better source than these local students. You can also try to connect with the neighbours, and other local people in the city who are not your classmates. This will give you an interaction opportunity and also a look into their cultural habits.

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Learn about the cultural customs and traditions

I am sure if you are moving to a different place, you definitely will be curious to know about the place way in advance. This may also help you in being culturally comfortable. You can do some research about the country’s culture before you land and find out various things like the traditions followed there, the festivals celebrated there, the normas and everything, so once you land here you will already be comfortable with the custom there and it will take you every less time to blend in. therefore it is a suggestion to do a pre-research upon the culture of the country that you are going to land in.

Interact actively

For say you are talking to a person who is explaining to you their tradition and you do not seem actively participating, it will cause them to lose all interest in sharing with you and leave you empty-handed. So, if you actually want to learn you will need to put all the concentration into the topic and be interested to learn. You will have to participate in the interactions actively and stop avoiding the meets and chances. You will need to be open to all types of conversations and interactions that come your way.

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Know the red lines and cultural sensitivity

Every religion, every culture and every place has some red lines that should not be crossed. It’s called the limitations. You must be very clear about what you can and cannot do in a culture. These restrictions if not followed lead to clashes and may look disrespectful to others. For example think if somebody breaks your cultural rules and mocks it, how would you feel? Will you not feel directed? The same goes for the other parties. Therefore, know the do’s and don’ts in a city before doing things out of the line.  

Look for guidance

Nobody expects you to know everything by yourself. To learn new things you require help. You must require guidance. So if you are not able to get the hang of the culture. It is better to consider taking guidance from the locals or the teachers, or the internet or anything you feel comfortable with. Do not feel hesitant to ask for help if you want to actually feel comfortable in the city. 

Adapt to the local food and rituals

The most important step in the adaptation is to embrace the rituals and food. And if you get comfortable with that, you sure will not fall into any clash with anyone. Try the local food, try the cuisine, try celebrating festivals with the city locals, and try enjoying their traditional rituals if you feel comfortable. It will all help you adapt and take the easy spot in the society of humans who are adaptable, considerate and culture-friendly.

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All these tips must help you adapt to the culture of the country and get the feeling of being one of them, avoiding any kind of clash and being friendly and comfortable all the time. Hope this blog on Ways to avoid cultural clashes while studying abroad helps blend in. To read more such interesting blogs, kindly follow Infotainment and to read about studying abroad follow Leverage Edu.

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