Culture Shock and Overcoming Barriers

By: James Cunningham, University of the Fraser Valley, winner of the Spring 2024 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Austria & Germany

I am currently just over halfway through my study abroad experience in Austria/Germany. I have had the opportunity to spend time in world cities such as Vienna and Munich, as well as smaller Austrian cities such as Linz and Salzburg. I’ve delved into mountains, taken (quite literally) plains, trains, and automobiles around an entirely new continent, and had some life altering experiences up to this point in my study abroad period. While I am feeling confident in myself as a travelling student now, there was a great deal of culture shock that I had been warned about but was still surprised to experience for the first time.

In Austria, punctuality reigns supreme in terms of what it means to abide by national etiquette. You are either early or precisely on time, but never late. To be late means the passing of great disrespect onto your host, and quite possibly, the degradation of that relationship. While I have fortunately not been late to this point, I have seen the ramifications of being late as experienced by other people attending my conference. These are not simple reminders to ensure timeliness in the future, but loud announcements of one’s displeasure of the tardy person’s lack of punctuality. Additionally, in both Austria and Germany, everything falls into order. Rules that are easily and frequently dismissed in Canada (e.g. jaywalking or littering) are not only strictly followed but policed by Austrian citizens in addition to their law enforcement. I’ve been fortunate to have adapted mostly well to this culture shock having spent the last 10 days here, but it was certainly a surprise in the beginning.

In addition to the culture shock, I’ve had to overcome my own personal barriers. I don’t consider myself to be a typical tourist in that I don’t usually enjoy walking around taking in the sights. I’ve challenged myself on this trip to get out and engage in more of those activities as it is unlikely that I will have another opportunity to experience European culture first-hand for some time. I’ve been to places such as the Marienplatz in Munich and St. Peters cathedral in Vienna. I’ve experienced a very sombre but important visit to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial site in Upper Austria, as well as various social service agencies in Linz. Without my willingness to get out and do things that I normally wouldn’t do, none of this would have been possible.