Adapting to Cultural Differences: Tips for Indian Students Abroad

Overview

More and more Indian Students try to study abroad these days, and for a good reason. International study opens doors to numerous opportunities to be discovered. Wherever you are headed, being an international student can be a very tough experience, too.

So if you are an Indian student pursuing your studies in the United Kingdom, Georgia, Canada, or elsewhere. Then this blog is aimed at addressing many of these typical problems which you might experience such as cultural adaptation.

Most often the problem of getting used to culture changes will strike close to home. There are variations in understanding cultural orientation depending on the nation you reside in. In other words, there is geographical variation to cultural orientation. For instance, consider an Indian family that displays collective orientation and then move to a country. That has individualistic orientation like the US or UK. Finally, if you are an international Indian student, you might pick up some cultural traits that are tough to acquire or shed. But I have some advice for navigating these differences in expectations for the best experience.

Important Preparation Before Embarking

When you commit to visiting a foreign location, spend some time studying your host nation, its culture, customs, and day-to-day living culture. The more you are able to learn about what to expect, the better you will prepare yourself mentally. As you will be able to dispel some of the apprehension you feel when confronted with differences in culture.

Being Open-Minded

If you truly wish to reap the rewards from this new and novel opportunity, you will have to willing embrace being open-minded and accepting of differences. Being accepting of differences extends beyond accepting differences in communicating and living, it also applies to thinking. Besides contributing your ideas, open acceptance of fresh ideas will further enhance this skill in your own career life.

Overcoming The Language Barrier

Learning the host country’s language can be the initial step of not just more understanding of local cultures but it could help you be respectful to others, achieve some mutual ground for communication, reduce translation mistakes, and hopefully build camaraderie with local residents. Look around to see if your college provides semester-long language courses while you are studying away or study abroad immersion programs that might give you the experience you need.

Connect To Home, But Do Not Isolate

As an individual from a collectivistic culture, it is totally normal to experience homesickness more than once. With that said, it is important to stay connected to your family, friends, partner, and even furry friends. Therefore, plan video calls with people every two days or so to help with homesickness and anxiety over time. It is so hard to combat belief states if you are an away, but it is equally as important that you don’t lock yourself in a totally different world and life.

Conclusion

Traveling to another country can always be a little adjustment, and if you don’t feel 100 percent grounded at first, don’t worry – it’s totally normal! Just remember, every single cultural difference you come across is not a bump to hurdle, but an opportunity to learn and expand and become more open-minded. So, take these five tips and get set for your learning travel abroad!