As I have been working with the Ireland nursing group, I found something very important that I want to stress to those who wish to move overseas…CULTURE SHOCK IS REAL…even in English speaking countries.
When I left for Australia, I assumed that it would be easy to adapt in another English speaking country. Boy was I wrong!
After arriving in Australia, my boyfriend, now husband, put me in the car and had me drive down to the service station. I was exhausted after 24 hours in the air and it was so hot. I was scared to death at the thought of driving on the “wrong” side of the road. Plus all the round abouts…what was it with round abouts?! Needless to say, I survived my first trip to the servo and learned quick a bit about culture shock in those first few hours. The shock of driving on the wrong side with all the round abouts. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins. I learned 7-11 are rampant in Australia and there is no Hershey’s chocolate and why is a Milky Way bar called a Mars Bar and what the what…There were no Monster Energy Drinks at the servo. Instead there were energy drinks called Mother and Red Bull in glass bottles.
I know that if my husband had not been proactive on that first day, I probably would have had a panic attack the first time I drove in Australia.
So much was different. Burger King is called Hungry Jacks and whilst they have Whopper, the rest of the menu is completely different.
I grew up in a very rural area of the United States. Yes, I worked in cities when I was a nurse and lived in some huge cities, but I am a country girl at heart. Arriving is Sydney and riding home I realised that this massive area was considered Sydney. You could drive from one side to the other, but it might take 2-3 hours. This sprawling city dwarfed other cities I lived it, but the actual central business district or CBD was tiny. Sydney is a city of suburbs, but it is all considered one massive city.
We all have heard the typical Aussie accent on television, but that was not what I was hearing. As I lived in New South Wales, I found the accent to be much milder, but I still had no idea what people were saying most of the time. Aussies like to shorten words…nearly every word. A Postal worker is a postie. A motorbike rider is a bikie. The afternoon is the arvo. Everyone has a nickname and many end with ie or o. And when someone asked “How are you going?” I wasn’t sure how to respond.
Although I was exhausted from my flight, my husband encouraged me to stay up as late as I could. We dropped on the couch in front of the television and watched random shows. He introduced me to ABC and to a fun soap opera that became my personal secret pleasure, but I clearly remember watching a television show and someone dropped the “F-bomb”. My jaw dropped. I stuttered. I was in complete shock. “How did they get away with that?” I exclaimed to my husband. I was truly blown away. He just laughed and said “this is normal, wait and see.” Over the next few years, I did indeed find it to be perfectly normal.
It took me nearly six months to get comfortable. During this time, I also lost some of my “high strung” attributes and learned to go with the flow.
Australia is a very culturally diverse country with so very much to offer. I learned so much in my time there especially about myself. I grew so much as a person and this is what living overseas can do for you.
I can say I had less culture shock moving to The Netherlands, even though Dutch is spoken here, because of my time in Australia. I know it would have been near impossible for me if I hadn’t gained my Australian experiences.
Now, as many nurses are looking to move to Ireland, I want to caution you in regards to culture shock. You will feel it. It may stress you out. It may not, but acknowledge it and move forward. Grow from new experiences. Homesickness will happen at some point. I found American holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and 4th of July, to be the worst. I did not suffer for homesickness as in missing my family. We talked frequently. It was more missing American Stuff, Dunkin Donuts Coffee, Pumpkin Pie, Wendy’s…the list can go on and on. Once I found an American store, it made everything much better.
Let us go forth and gain amazing experiences all the while supporting one another.
bungsandotherstuff 