Expat Exchange.com - Let the Adventure Begin! Week-by-Week Guide to Moving Overseas - Understanding the Culture

Let the Adventure Begin! A Week-by-Week Guide to Moving Abroad

Understanding the Culture - Cross-Cultural Training

19 Weeks Until Move: Understanding the Culture - Cross-Cultural Training

Note: this is an excerpt of our free e-newsletter, Let the Adventure Begin!. For full access, please subscribe to the e-version of Let the Adventure Begin! (free).
This is a synopsis of an e-newsletter issue of Let the Adventure Begin! Subscribe today (free) and you'll receive weekly e-newsletters starting 8 months before your approximate move date and running through your first four months abroad, you'll receive weekly e-newsletters with timely advice related to where you are in the preparation and settling in processes.
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Why Cross-Cultural Training?

"It is important to learn about the country that you are living in. Customs are different and learning about it was an interesting experience for me. Living it you learn a lot more, but taking a class in cross-cultural training is a great beginning. This way you know what to expect and not offend anyone so you understand the culture of the people," explains one ExpatExchange member.
If you are moving because a company is relocating you, check with the HR department to see if your company will provide cross-cultural training. Many now hire experts to provide the training before you leave, or it may be part of your new employee orientation upon arrival. Either way, if you are moving with a spouse or children, ask if it's possible to include the family in whatever may be provided.

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Different Types of Cross-Cultural Training

Peter T. Burgi, Ph.D wrote an article entitled, Getting the Most From Cross-Cultural Training. Please note: This article first appeared in Organization Resources Counselors, Inc.'s Expatriate Observer.
In the article, Burgi describes two types of Cross-Cultural Training (CCT) and how to approach this important training. Here are a few highlights:

CCT helps individuals prepare for the new and potentially stressful situations they will face living and working in a new culture. Many vendors of such training focus on providing participants with much diverse information about the new culture. Often, this training takes the form of "lecture with Q&As," similar to most of our experiences in college or university (i.e., a professor-student model). A small but growing group of vendors, however, approaches CCT as a structured adult learning program, which focuses on having participants develop the new skills they will need in the new environment.

Nothing is better than actual experience for the impact of learning. A way of creating the experiences that will make the learning "memorable" is to have opportunities to interact with real nationals of the assignment country. Treat the training event as an experience from which you can learn.

Possibly the single most significant aspect of a good CCT is making it "experiential" in ways that simulate experiences you will have in a new cultural environment. If the only experience that a CCT provides is a lecture, then the program implicitly teaches that "learning is passive." But if it provides experiences more directly connected with "real life," in which you have to engage and interact, then the program implicitly teaches that "learning is an active experience."

You can enhance your chances of completing a successful expatriate assignment by taking an active role in your preparation long before you leave home. And when it's time to come back-or go on to another foreign assignment-you'll be able to put those skills to good use once more.

Cross-Cultural Training on a Budget

A less expensive option is to head to your local bookstore or check with your favorite online retailer to see if they carry the "Culture Shock" series. Most countries are represented in this excellent series of books, which help you understand local customs and avoid embarrassing gaffes in your new country.
Culture Shock Books on Amazon.com
Culture Shock Books on Amazon.co.uk

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This Issue Written by Kendra Redman

Kendra Redman is a well traveled writer with a B.S. in Journalism and a Master's in Writing. She has lived in six countries and draws on her experience to write about her adventures and misadventures. One of her greatest travel accomplishments was once returning from a trip with two end tables and two lamps as her "carry on luggage."
She has been a contributor to websites such as InsideOutmag.com, freshome.com, iVillage.com, Vagablond.com and was a former country host for ExpatExchange.com. Kendra can be reached at: kredman2001@yahoo.com

Let the Adventure Begin!
Week-by-Week Index

Subscribe to Let the Adventure Begin! Newsletter

Week 35: Career Issues

Week 34: Preparing Your Kids

Week 33: Job Search

Week 32: A Glimpse of Your New Life Abroad

Week 31: School Selection

Week 30: Neighborhood Selection

Week 29: Resume & CV Tips

Week 28: The Accompanying Spouse

Week 27: Moving Logistics

Week 26: Moving Logistics (Part 2)

Week 25: Health Insurance & Services

Week 24: Your Health Abroad

Week 23: The Family Pet

Week 22: Security Matters

Week 21: Preparing Your Teenager

Week 20: Learning the Language

Week 19: Understanding the Culture

Week 18: Passport & Visa

Week 17: Work Permits

Week 16: Financial Matters

Week 15: Tax Matters

Week 14: Real Estate Matters

Week 13: Working Abroad

Week 12: Working Abroad (Part 2)

Week 11: Counseling & Coaching

Week 10: Technology

Week 9: Making Connections

Week 8: Moving Checklist

Week 7: Moving with Kids

Week 6: Recommended Reading

Week 5: Culture Shock

Week 4: Drowning in Details?

Week 3: The Right Mindset

Week 2: The Right Mindset (Part 2)

Week 1: Parenting

Settling In: Your First 18 Weeks Abroad

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