Culture Shock

Culture Shock is one of the more interesting aspects of travel and can be particularly noticeable for those going abroad for the first time or going to a different continent whose language has little similarity with English. 

Many countries have much less diversity than many North American or European countries—so foreigners do stand out. This is particularly true of smaller cities where Western visitors are rarer. In certain places, you might be some of the first foreign or Western people your students have ever met, or at least got to know. Similarly, many older people in rural communities may not have travelled much or at all, and so will be even more likely to be surprised when they see you.

A natural consequence of this is that foreigners can get treated with great hospitality and locals tend to be very friendly, generous and curious about you. The same impulse means it is common for visitors to be stared at or have their photos taken without permission. People may take photos of you, sometimes subtly and sometimes not. You might get asked to pose for photos, particularly with children, or people might simply take a photo of you while you’re not looking. This will probably become quite normal to you after a while, but can be a bit strange the first few times—remember that nothing negative is normally meant by it, you’re just more noticeable and unfamiliar. 

Queen Elizabeth II once said she always tries to make a good impression, because she knows her interaction with a stranger will often be that person's only ever interaction with the Royal Family -and so she shouldn't leave a sour taste. Please bear this in mind on projects - you may well be the only real-life ambassador for your culture that people will interact with in a long time...So try to make a good impression, even if you are a little tired.