Culture shock is defined as a person's reaction to entering a new and unpredictable environment where it is difficult to determine what information is important. This phenomenon will affect everyone to some degree when immersed in a new culture. Some cultural facts about Indian society include that Indians can be shy but friendly, speak English well, value collectivism over individualism, are patriotic and respect cultural norms, have flexible concepts of time, and a strong sense of hierarchy. Safety for women visitors requires common sense precautions.

2. Culture Shock
Culture shock is defined as a person’s reaction to entering a new, unpredictable
and therefore uncertain environment. Basically you have a hard time determining
which of the millions of sights, sounds and smells are important and which ones
should be filtered out. You have a very hard time interpreting all of these
perceptions which bombard you. This is a phenomenon, which everyone will suffer
to one degree or another. Even if you have traveled extensively before, you will still
experience culture shock when entering a different culture than the one you have
been immersed in recently.

3. Culture Shock
“When going through a culture shock – keep going.”

4. Some Cultural Facts
about the Indian Society*
These are generalisations which come from common understanding and not
scientific method. This is subject to individual behaviours and the situational context

5. Shyness
Indians are known to be quite shy and not very
outspoken. You have got to realize that you are in a
completely new country and have to make an effort
to get to know people. Indians may seem aloof and
brusque. You will, however, not find them lacking in
friendliness.

6. Speaking abilities
Foreigners are quite pleasantly surprised with
our English speaking abilities. Most people
speak basic English, and are adept at
conversing in the language. Though, you might
have to be careful with your accent, as Indians
speak English in a very ‘dictionary’ accent &
fast pace.

7. Collectivism
Whereas western culture believes in
individualism, we believe in collectivism. An
individual’s life is interdependent with his
surroundings. In a way our lives are run with
the support and cooperation of our fellow
beings. This is also one of the chief reasons
why social motivation gets an upper hand in
our work environment.

8. Culturally Sensitive
As mentioned above, Indians feel very strongly
about collectivism. From that emerges the
emotional nature of Indians. Indians are generally
very patriotic. We expect internationals to respect
India’s culture & norms.

9. IST (Indian Stretchable Time)
The Indian concept of timing is very flexible.
Being late by about 15-30 minutes is quite
normal. This followed more in the case of
socializing and parties. This is not a universal
phenomenon specially in case of professional
& traveling activities.

10. Close minded and Orthodox
Many things that you may see or experience
during the course of your traineeship may
come as a shock to you. A lot of Indians
have a tendency to be very close-minded
and conventional, and not accept the fact
that people may have completely different
lifestyles to their own. However, the younger
generation is generally more open-minded.

11. Safety for Women
India has an international reputation for crime and scams
especially against women, but most problems can be
avoided with a bit of common sense and an appropriate
amount of caution.
Millions of tourist visit India & thousands of female interns
come to do internships through AIESEC India. By
maintaining appropriate amount of caution, your experience
in India will be delightful and safe. As a pre-caution you can
get in touch with local AIESECers & previous interns to know
more about the safety. You can also read more about India
on credible travel websites like lonely planet.

12. Hierarchy
There is a strong sense of hierarchy in the Indian
society. Generally, Indian people are very formal
with their seniors. Even in a work environment this
is followed. However, this also depends on the
specific culture of the organisation & the
personality of the supervisor.

13. Tendency of Not Refusing
In some cases, Indians avoid saying no as they
consider it impolite. This might lead us to make
promises that are difficult to be fulfilled. If there is
a difficult task that needs to be managed in a
given time please clarify and set expectations. It
might help to request the person to be frank and
give you a realistic answer. However, this
tendency can’t be generalised and is subject to
individual behaviour.

14. 1.2 billion people live here
There are so many of us in India. Specially in
big cities. You would need to get used to the
crowd. As they say, the more the merrier.

15. Disorganised Environment
India is a developing country. There can be a lot
of chaos at a lot of places, for example at train
stations. Its not uncommon to find animals,
garbage & rash drivers on Indian streets. You are
best advised to adapt to the situation. Its India, all
will be well here.

16. Love for Food
Cold cuts, Raw fish, Hard bread – do not really
appeal to a lot of Indians and we prefer our own
curries and cooked vegetables. A lot of families use
chillies and spices to add taste to their food. You
must be careful in pre-warning them if you are
sensitive to chillies and spices.