Gladys gave an announcement this morning about the culture shock, fatigue, and depression being experienced by many students at this point in the program. From her observation and those of J.J. and James, we are in “the depths” of culture shock, during which a variety of physical and psychological symptoms can greatly reduce alertness, productivity, motivation, good posture, etc. I am certainly not feeling this way, though, and I’ve been looking forward to this week, this weekend, next week, next weekend, etc. I suspect that several past experiences have helped me to adjust quickly to the Costa Rican environment. Academically, the Spanish and technical courses and activities are intensive but less demanding overall of my available time than was my class and activities schedule during my senior year of high school and every academic term since. Psychologically, there is less heat, fewer bugs, more amenities, and less personal responsibility here than what I experienced while caring for a group of campers 24 hours a day as a camp counselor for eight weeks in 2009. I also have the distinct advantage of having been to Costa Rica before, which may lessen the shock of cultural and societal differences. Of course, Honduras may yet be thoroughly shocking.
No comments:
Post a Comment