Traveler's Log: Days 1-3

I imagine the first couple days living abroad are the most difficult. Not only are you likely disoriented from travel, but there is the inevitable culture shock that probably happens within the first day or two. Realizing that you are in a completely different place than the one you're use to can be tough. Such as has been my experience in India so far.

After a long twenty-one hour flight, I arrived at the airport at 2:15 in the morning. The last thing I wanted to do was talk with government personnel about my plans while in India, something that I had trouble doing given the fact that I was half asleep. Then after filling out the necessary forms and getting finger printed, I had to endure a third security check before I could retrieve my luggage. This is when I really noticed how different everything was.

I was surrounded by people who were all different. I think the most stressful part was realizing that there was a pretty significant language barrier between me and virtually everyone else. Aside from the person who stamped my passport, no one else seemed to be speaking English, and those who did, spoke in a broken dialect that I could barely understand. This made it incredibly difficult to ask for help. To make matters even worse, I was not able to use my cellphone for anything.  Honestly, if I was not with someone, I would have been completely lost. 

It is without a doubt the most surreal feeling I have ever experienced to be the only American in an environment filled with Indians. I have received a number of strange looks from people the past couple of days. My race and national identity have never felt so isolating. The worst part is that this feeling became evident before I even left the airport! 

My best advice that I can now genuinely give to people who travel to the United States is to try to remain calm and, if possible, try to have someone with you who can help you figure things out. I know both pieces of advice are definitely easier said than done; I admit, it was difficult for me to stay calm even with the presence of someone else. I feel like the more research you do about the culture before traveling, the easier it will be because you already will have some idea of what to expect. Informing yourself is a great way to lessen the intensity of culture shock; that is, the more you can anticipate, the less you have to worry about. 

Aside from the initial feeling of otherness I experienced, the past few days have been great. Again, I'm sure that it helps that I am with a family who can help me understand the culture. I know this is a luxury that not every person gets especially those of you who come to the United States to attend university. That is why having a mentor or go-to person (or people) is ideal. Not only do they make the experience much more enjoyable--such as the case with me--but they also can make it a lot less stressful because they are able to provide you insights that may be difficult to figure out on your own.

That is what I had in mind when I created Level-Up Proficiency. Of course, it is primarily about helping nonnative speakers of English improve their proficiency in order to help diminish the language barrier they experience, but beyond that, Level-Up Proficiency is about helping people feel more comfortable with being in a new culture. We want to be your go-to people because we know how difficult it can be to succeed in a culture that you are not accustomed to. I can now say this from personal experience!

If I were leaving India tomorrow, I think I would be leaving as a more informed and genuinely empathetic person. However, my journey here as only just begun and I am quite confident that India has many more lessons to teach me!

If you would like to get in touch or perhaps share your own experience traveling to a new culture for the first time, send us an email at levelupproficiency@gmail.com or message us on Facebook.

Ryan M. Shea, English Proficiency Specialist