Culture shock is a term we hear a lot when we talk about living in a new culture or society. The common cues that we’ve subconsciously grown up with are suddenly gone, the language is different and suddenly it is difficult to communicate with ease, suddenly we are targets for attention because of our skin color or the way we look, it is difficult, if not impossible to find our favorite foods (or sometimes even similar foods) in the markets, and everything is just slightly “different” from the life we’ve have grown up with. While I have yet to experience what we strictly definite as culture shock, I don’t ever really expect it to be a “shock” – more just an accumulation of the small aggravations and noticing the differences and things I miss. This is only natural being in a new environment. I expect more of these feelings to emerge with time.
Today, however, I had an experience that could best be described as culture shock -but not in the sense that I experienced something in my new culture that bothered or upset me, but rather in the sense that I was overwhelmed as I got a glimpse back into my own culture – reverse culture shock some may call it.
After class today myself and two other girls visited Junction Mall in Lavington (a part of Nairobi) to get out of the apartments and see more of the city. We really had no idea what to expect. The mall was very new, having just been constructed in the last three years. Picture the nicest mall you've seen and that was basically it. It was full of shops selling clothing, electronics, and everything else normal malls sells. They had restaurants, cupcake stands, a subway, froyo and this one store called Mr. Price that was very similar to Forever 21. The prices were comparable to American prices, which makes them relatively expensive compared to other things in Nairobi. It was astonishing to see the obvious disparities that exist in Nairobi. One moment you can see extreme poverty and the next you can see extreme wealth.
Then we visited a supermarket called Nakumatt. As soon as we stepped in side I felt overwhelmed. It was a feeling that is difficult to put into words. There were just so many options of different foods to buy. And beyond that, there were many different options of brands of those food options to choose from. There were aisles on aisles of variety. This is something we encounter everyday in America and it is something that is completely taken for granted. Being in a situation here where I have to find my own food from the nearby markets and fruit/veggie venders on the street I was suddenly overwhelmed by all the options and uncomfortable with all the excess. Knowing how unevenly resources are distributed throughout Nairobi and then seeing this kind of supermarket with the sheer amount of choices was eye-opening. Nairobi is a place where you can find the spectrum of wealth - from the slums of Kibera to the middle class people throughout the city to the wealthy people of Westlands and Lavington.
Knowing that the situation that caused our discomfort was something we are so nonchalant about in our own society (despite the also large income inequality gap, especially in DC) was all the more exasperating.Today I learned more about inequality but I also learned something about my own culture. It made me realize that sometimes we are so expecting other cultures to be the ones to shock us, we don’t realize the shocking elements of our own.
Today, however, I had an experience that could best be described as culture shock -but not in the sense that I experienced something in my new culture that bothered or upset me, but rather in the sense that I was overwhelmed as I got a glimpse back into my own culture – reverse culture shock some may call it.
After class today myself and two other girls visited Junction Mall in Lavington (a part of Nairobi) to get out of the apartments and see more of the city. We really had no idea what to expect. The mall was very new, having just been constructed in the last three years. Picture the nicest mall you've seen and that was basically it. It was full of shops selling clothing, electronics, and everything else normal malls sells. They had restaurants, cupcake stands, a subway, froyo and this one store called Mr. Price that was very similar to Forever 21. The prices were comparable to American prices, which makes them relatively expensive compared to other things in Nairobi. It was astonishing to see the obvious disparities that exist in Nairobi. One moment you can see extreme poverty and the next you can see extreme wealth.
Then we visited a supermarket called Nakumatt. As soon as we stepped in side I felt overwhelmed. It was a feeling that is difficult to put into words. There were just so many options of different foods to buy. And beyond that, there were many different options of brands of those food options to choose from. There were aisles on aisles of variety. This is something we encounter everyday in America and it is something that is completely taken for granted. Being in a situation here where I have to find my own food from the nearby markets and fruit/veggie venders on the street I was suddenly overwhelmed by all the options and uncomfortable with all the excess. Knowing how unevenly resources are distributed throughout Nairobi and then seeing this kind of supermarket with the sheer amount of choices was eye-opening. Nairobi is a place where you can find the spectrum of wealth - from the slums of Kibera to the middle class people throughout the city to the wealthy people of Westlands and Lavington.
Knowing that the situation that caused our discomfort was something we are so nonchalant about in our own society (despite the also large income inequality gap, especially in DC) was all the more exasperating.Today I learned more about inequality but I also learned something about my own culture. It made me realize that sometimes we are so expecting other cultures to be the ones to shock us, we don’t realize the shocking elements of our own.