Passage One Culture shock is the term given to the feelings of surprise, confusion, and disorientation that many foreigners feel when they live or study abroad. Scientists have noted that everyone experiences culture shock in different ways and for different amounts of time. However, there are five general stages of culture shock that can occur in any order, including excitement, rejection, regression, recovery, and reverse culture shock. The first phase of culture shock is characterized by excitement because the traveler is interested in all of the differences found in the new country. He or she may enjoy the beautiful new scenery and the delicious new food. While the honeymoon phase is fun and exciting, it also ends fairly quickly as the traveler encounters difficulty adjusting to life in the new country. Because life is so different in the new country, the foreigner experiences many unexpected difficulties as he or she enters the second stage of culture shock, the rejection phase. This is the time when the foreigner begins to feel irritated or frustrated because of the differences, and he or she may start to complain about the host country. In the regression phase, the foreigners lovingly remember their home country. They forget about all of the troubles and problems they had in their home country and wish they could return. At this stage, the foreigner will try to regress, or go back, to their home country in some ways. For example, they spend most of the time with other foreigners who speak their native language. Or, they may insist on finding the things they miss from their home country such as food, movies, songs, or books. Once the regression stage passes, the person moves into the fourth phase, the recovery phase. In this phase, the person becomes accustomed to the new culture. Communication is easier, and the person can conduct daily life without anxiety. It is called the recovery phase because, like recovering from illness, the person finally begins to feel good again. Since the person has accepted the new culture, returning to the home county might be difficult. Reverse culture shock happens when a traveler returns home only to realize that he or she misses the foreign country. They see problems with their own home country, or maybe they do not like the recent changes that have occurred while they were abroad. How do new comers usually feel when they first arrive in a new country?