Labib 3 Pierre Labib Professor Ritt English 241 H-HW May 5, 2019 Culture shock Experience Bob is a young enthusiastic young man who loves swimming and partying. He is very social, and everyone loves to be associated with him. Every time we have some work to do in groups, most of the students fight their way to be in the same group with him. They refer to him as the King of adventure. He is naturally charismatic and very hardworking. There is a story that everyone knows about Bob because he told it in class sometime back. His life so far is like a movie script. Bob has a fantastic past which is built from a humble background and migration into the United States when he could barely utter an English word. Bob was born and raised in Dubai and coming to America was mainly facilitated by the thirst for education. His home country is prestigious. Dubai boasts of countable unique and prestigious attractions that the whole world takes notice of. The work ethic is professionally modeled to utilize intellects and duly award them. The country’s domestic and international relations stand out in the entire world. This is the reason for the increased influx of immigrants and foreign investors who work majorly with the private sector to not only benefit the employer but also improve their personal and professional life. With all these recommendable facts, nevertheless, Bob found a gap that he could only fill by coming to America. He recalls the chilly morning of January 17th, 2017, when he bid his family goodbye. Eventually, he would come to the United States of America. This was a long-awaited moment. His flight took off around 0245 hours, and the trip took 14 hours to arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Cutting through the clouds was something he had previously experienced, but at this particular moment, it was different. This marked the beginning of his disorientation. Most of his international journeys he had traveled with his parents, but he was alone in this one. The passenger seated next to him, James, was an American white but unfortunately, they could not communicate well apart from just telling each other names. Language barrier stood between them. He had expected that he would be lucky to get a seat close to someone conversant with the Arabic language so that they could bond during the journey because he knew very well, he could not converse fluently in English. He was still a learner of the English Language and could not speak or even understand the American accent. James too could not comprehend Arabic, so gestures significantly complemented cases that verbal communication failed. That was the mystery in his journey. His arrival was only made smooth by the fact that his father had contacted a friend who works as a taxi driver near the airport to pick him. He was then transferred to the University and helped through the registration process and accommodation arrangements. He completed the process and settled down for his studi.

1. Labib 3
Pierre Labib
Professor Ritt
English 241 H-HW
May 5, 2019
Culture shock Experience
Bob is a young enthusiastic young man who loves swimming
and partying. He is very social, and everyone loves to be
associated with him. Every time we have some work to do in
groups, most of the students fight their way to be in the same
group with him. They refer to him as the King of adventure. He
is naturally charismatic and very hardworking. There is a story
that everyone knows about Bob because he told it in class
sometime back. His life so far is like a movie script. Bob has a
fantastic past which is built from a humble background and
migration into the United States when he could barely utter an
English word.
Bob was born and raised in Dubai and coming to America was
mainly facilitated by the thirst for education. His home country
is prestigious. Dubai boasts of countable unique and prestigious
attractions that the whole world takes notice of. The work ethic
is professionally modeled to utilize intellects and duly award
them. The country’s domestic and international relations stand
out in the entire world. This is the reason for the increased
influx of immigrants and foreign investors who work majorly
with the private sector to not only benefit the employer but also
improve their personal and professional life. With all these
recommendable facts, nevertheless, Bob found a gap that he
could only fill by coming to America.
He recalls the chilly morning of January 17th, 2017, when he
bid his family goodbye. Eventually, he would come to the
United States of America. This was a long-awaited moment. His
flight took off around 0245 hours, and the trip took 14 hours to

2. arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Cutting through
the clouds was something he had previously experienced, but at
this particular moment, it was different. This marked the
beginning of his disorientation. Most of his international
journeys he had traveled with his parents, but he was alone in
this one. The passenger seated next to him, James, was an
American white but unfortunately, they could not communicate
well apart from just telling each other names. Language barrier
stood between them.
He had expected that he would be lucky to get a seat close to
someone conversant with the Arabic language so that they could
bond during the journey because he knew very well, he could
not converse fluently in English. He was still a learner of the
English Language and could not speak or even understand the
American accent. James too could not comprehend Arabic, so
gestures significantly complemented cases that verbal
communication failed. That was the mystery in his journey. His
arrival was only made smooth by the fact that his father had
contacted a friend who works as a taxi driver near the airport to
pick him. He was then transferred to the University and helped
through the registration process and accommodation
arrangements. He completed the process and settled down for
his studies. Before embarking on his academic program, he had
to solve one major challenge. He had to make his life bearable
here. Sometimes he regretted about his decision which could
hardly be reversed. The culture shock was real, and he had to
face it head-on.
Day and night, he consoled himself that all will one day get to
be healthy. His attachment to his family was crucial. It was
difficult for him to associate with issues and people within the
University, neighbors and social places as most of them are
unrelated to his native culture. He stayed withdrawn. He always
recalled his mother’s encouragement that “the world is a global
village, am just a phone call away we can talk laugh and dine
together my son.” He found strength in her words and could
continue attending classes and doing his classwork successfully.

3. His father just told him, “Go make a difference in your life,
remain focused.”
In February 2017, he joined University. He describes that month
as the most challenging moment in his life. He suffered lots of
lifestyle challenges ranging from food, the locals’ habits and
the pace of life. Back at home, he could eat his native Arabic
food which was way too expensive in America. The Emirati
cuisine comprises foods from the vast region of Middle Eastern
and Asian dishes. Here he had to research and sometimes the
desired hotels could be located quite distant from his residence.
Sometimes he missed ‘Shawarma’ and ‘al machaaboos’ famous
traditional dishes in Dubai. Shawarma for example in the
traditional recipe is meat marinated with spices like grounded
coriander, cumin, cloves, paprika, black pepper, cinnamon,
garlic, onion, vinegar, and olive oil. He could often find himself
looking at the images with these delicious dishes. He knew he
could still see them in New York, but it was not easy to identify
the hotels. At this time, he only ate Di Fara Pizza and a few
other foods which he never liked.
The economic situation, however, is quite cheaper compared to
Dubai. The primary commodities such as food items are
relatively economical in the USA. Issues of foreign currency
arose several times whenever he wanted to shop for products.
He had been used to the rates of Dirham a currency used in
Dubai and the entire United Arab Emirates, contrary to Dollar a
currency that he had to adopt in his daily life. Even though he
had traveled abroad, he never had direct experience of using
cards to pay for most of his bills. This was not a significant
challenge as per se as he got used to budget within two weeks.
Don’t forget though, and he had to walk with a shopping list.
Life continued presenting difficulties during the first year in
America. In August 2017, he was infected with flu that lasted
for weeks and added joint pains to his troubled situation.
Though he got treated and healed completely, he encountered
difficulties seeking treatment in hospitals due to the language
barrier, but he managed to start making friends due to necessity.

4. He recalls the first time he entered into the consultation room in
local clinic “I need treatment, pain inside” that is all he could
say. However, he was lucky there was a translator who helped
through the process.
In December 2017, he had already started being used to the new
culture, but one incident will remain in his memory throughout
his entire life. It was Saturday around 10 o’clock when he got
out to feel the cool morning breeze as he walked on the streets.
He decided to sit on a public bench to fix his headphones, and
he heard a voice.
“Oh, ooh oooooh please help, help, help please” a sound of a
lady in pain.
He drew near the road to check what was happening.
“What is happening? Why are you down? are you hurting?” He
asked all these questions without minding whether the lady
understood him. He rushed to help her.
“I have just injured my leg as I was doing some exercise here.
kindly I need your help, kindly get a bandage we need to stop
bleeding first, here is the money” she handed some dollars.
Looking at her leg, her left knee was bleeding and needed to be
attended to. He did not have the first aid items, so he had to
rush to the nearby chemist to get a bandage. He did not find any
visible chemist and had to rush back and seek alternative help
for her.
“Where is the bandage. You mean can’t help! You have just
overlooked a chemist and came back. Give back my money!”
She shouted embarrassing him to the already few people who
were waiting for the bandage to attend to her.
“I did not see any drug store” he politely explained to one
young man who seemed to be kind to him.
“Here in America, some drug stores also stock products like
sodas. You must be a foreigner just like me” the young man
explained.
He was amazed because back at home and the United Kingdom
which is the only country he had visited before New York;
chemists are meant for medicine and medicinal products

5. exclusively. This said that he had to make friends further be
able to understand some of these things. That is the moment he
became friends to his fellow foreigner though from different
native countries. His name was Caelian.
The pressure was still high as Bob tried to adjust to the
American way of life completely. Surprisingly, his experience
was contrary to that of other foreigners. To them, the first few
weeks were characterized by love for the new culture in
America. His Italian friend Caelian had experienced this.
During these first few months, Bob tried to associate with
nationals who speak Arabic but could not find enough time with
them. “Everybody here is busy with their lives,” Caelian always
told him whenever he felt irritated by this culture. Social life
back at home, especially in his town, possessed a significant
meaning for him. People visited and afforded time for each
other.
He always leaned towards people who seemed polite to him as a
foreigner until August 2018, when he met Natasha. She is born
and raised in New York. He calls her his other sister as she
understood him and devoted to accompany and help him fully
adapt to the American lifestyle. She ensured that he found and
ate healthy meals and maintain contact with his fellow students.
They are an alike minded duo. Every weekend they enjoy
playing chess and attend rugby and basketball tournaments to
cheer for their favorite teams. Caelian frequently joins them to
have fun together. Since Bob’s culture shock was severe, in
September 2018, he enrolled for psychological counseling
within the University to help him overcome the depression. His
friend Caelian enabled him all through to get advice.
On March 21st, 2019, he talked to his mother as he usually did.
He was not depressed anymore this time around. He referred
America his second home. The culture shock can be painful and
disappointing if it remains unresolved. He had to continually
acknowledge that the feeling is normal, keep in touch with
friends and relatives at home, seek psychological counseling
and believe in himself as he focused on his ambitions. When

6. appropriately tackled, one can change the attitude. Today he
appreciates the beauty and diversity exhibited in the American
way of life as he stays true to his fundamental values and
culture. His challenges built a strong and bold man inside and
today he one of the best students in his class.