We are products of our culture and environment. As you grew up in your country, you learned values, attitudes, customs, one or more languages, and other aspects of the culture that surrounded you. The characteristics of that culture shaped you as a person and made you into a Chinese, Indian, German, Nigerian, or whatever your nationality is. Furthermore, if you come from a country that has many ethnic groups within it, you may identify more with that group's culture than with any national characteristics.

When someone experiences a culture different from his/her own, the person goes through a period of cultural adjustment. There are different stages of cultural adjustment, some say four, some say five, depending on the theory. What's important to realize is that cultural adjustment is a process, it does not happen overnight. Not only is it something that all foreign students go through, but also U.S. students from different parts of the country will also experience some cultural adjustment as they adapt to New York City.

The first stage of cultural adjustment is the honeymoon stage, which has a lot of positive feelings, so it may lead people to believe that the transition will be easy. The honeymoon stage is when things are exciting and new, when you are finally seeing in person what you've seen on TV, or in the movies. It's also a time when differences are not noticed as much as similarities, so it feels like the transition will not be so difficult. After all, people eat, sleep, work, and play in all cultures. So adjustment to life in the U.S. doesn't seem to be a problem at all.

The Honeymoon Stage
Common thoughts during the Honeymoon Stage include
- Isn't this exciting?
- Aren't they interesting?
- I can't wait to tell _______________ about this.
- Everything here is so _____________!

Characteristics of the Honeymoon Stage
- You are busy taking care of business, such as registration, finding an apartment, opening a bank account, etc.
- You are observing the new culture and familiarizing yourself with the new environment.
- You are meeting useful and friendly staff and professors.
- You are making new friends.
- You are seeing and doing new things and enjoying a new world.
- You are proud that you can make yourself understood in the target language and that you can understand the native speakers (if English is not your first language.)

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