How to overcome a cultural shock! - Kako prevazići kulturni šok!

Prvi put dolazite u Peking i sve je veoma uzbudljivo na samom početku!  Veoma moderan grad sa nevjerovatno modernim okruženjem. Teško je opisati riječima oduševljenje.  
No, ubrzo vas spusti na zemlju prvi pokušaj komunikacije koji vam počne i buditi  prve frustracije, pa  čak i osjećaj bespomoćnosti, ne možete komunicirati, ili vas iznenade ljudi sa maskama oko vas te i druge  veoma drukčije kineske navike. Budimo realni došli smo na drugi kontinent, naravno, da će sve biti u najmanju ruku potpuno drukčije. Znali smo to i prije polaska i po našem dolasku. Ali, ipak, doživjeli smo kulturalni šok. Najvjerovatnije u prvoj sedmici, ili prvih 3 do 5 dana. 

Kako prevazići kulturni šok?

Vratimo se malo u našu bližu okolinu, nakon povratka  sa našeg godišnjeg odmora, ljetnog ili zimskog, na kojem smo bili 7 ili 10 dana u  susretu sa našom dobro poznatom sredinom u kojoj živimo često doživimo jednu vrstu šoka. Vraćamo se u neku našu realnost i blokirali smo, jer smo bili u potpuno drukčijem okruženju.  To je  sasvim normalno ponašanje, jer je našem tijelu potrebno neko vrijeme da obradi ili procesuira nove promjene. 

Prije mog dolaska u Peking veoma mnogo sam proučavala Kinu. Čitala sam sve što mi je došlo pod ruku, kako bih upoznala što više kulturu, tradiciju, historiju pa i sve ostalo. Moja priprema prije polazka mi je puno pomogla, jer sam znala, šta da očekujem i  bila sam spremna na neki način.  Iako sam osoba koja voli da se upusti u putovanja bez velike organizacije i pripreme te na licu mjesta se prepusti avanturi otkrivanja, ovaj put sam se  organizovala. 

Pripremiti sebe na činjenicu da na drugom kontinentu nećete vjerovatno pronaći možda prvih dana hranu koju preferirate u vašem okruženju, ali ćete imati priliku da upoznate i isprobate novu,  sličnu ili potpuno drukčiju.  Pa tako i sve ostalo. Ovakav stav vam omogućava da preskočite nekoliko stepenica  i jednostavnije se prilagodite. Naravno, veoma važna je  sposobnost prilagođavanja. Opustite se i pokušajte se prilagoditi koliko je više moguće.

Strpljenje, fleksibilnost i otvoreni um su stvari koje trebate razviti iznad prosjeka.  Ovim ćete obogatit svoj duh i svoju ličnost, prije svega.

Hvala na čitanju!

Pratite nas.

English version

For the first time you come to Beijing everything is very exciting at the very beginning! Very modern city with incredibly modern surroundings. It is difficult to describe  with words what you feel. But, soon with the first encounter with  communication may start first frustration and even you can feel your self  helpless, you cannot communicate, or you are surprised by people with masks around you and other very different Chinese habits. Let's be realistic, on the other continent, of course, that everything will be at least completely different. We knew this before our departure and after our arrival. But, nevertheless, we experienced a cultural shock. Most likely in the first week or received 3 to 5 days.

How to overcome a cultural shock?

Let's go back to our immediate surroundings, after returning from our annual vacation, summer or winter, where we were 7 or 10 days in a encounter with our well-known environment in which we life, we often experience a kind of shock. We come back to some  kind of our reality and blocked because we were in a completely different environment. This is quite normal behavior because our body needs some time to process new changes. Before I came to Beijing I studied China a lot. I read all that came under my hand, to get to know more about culture, tradition, history and everything else also.
My preparation before my departure helped me a lot because I knewed what to expect and I was ready in some way. Although I am a person who likes to travel without preparation and organization embarking on adventure of discovering, but this time I was very well organized.
Prepare yourself on the fact that on the other continent you will probably not find the foods you prefer in your environment for the first few days, but you will have the opportunity to meet and try new, similar or completely different. And so everything else. This attitude allows you to skip a few steps and make it easier to customize. Of course, the ability to adapt is also very important. Relax and try to adjust as much as possible.

Patience, flexibility and the open mind are the things that you need to develop above the average. This will enrich your spirit and your personality, above all.
 

Thank you for reading!
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Let's go to China! Idemo u Kinu!

U mom prvom postu o Kini evo nekoliko uputa za sve one, koji planiraju uskoro da putuju u Kinu, a i za sve one, koji još uvijek lome svoju odluku. Nadam se da će vam biti od pomoći. Pokušat ću u svojim budućim postovima da približim  magiju i ljepotu Kine, što više mogu.

Moja velika želja iz djetinjstva je bila da živim u Kini. Oduševljavala me je njena kultura, tradicija i dostajnstvo koje sam uvijek na neki način osjećala. Niti u jednom trenutku nisam razmišljala, niti pomislila, da bi život u Kini mogao biti  komplikovan ili da bi mi jezik  mogao biti prepreka. Dolazak u Kinu za mene je  nekako bio kao da idem kući. Generalno jako teško primjećujem materijalne različitosti među ljudima. Uvijek mi je vodič ljudskost. Imala sam osjećaj, da znam, šta da očekujem i bila sam presretna. Kad sam sletjela u Peking sve što sam osjećala samo se u najmanju ruku uduplalo. Bila sam presretna i svaki dan sam sve sretnija. Jer, Kina, jednostavno oduševljava ne svaki dan, već svaki sat pa i svaku minutu. Ovdje uglavnom možete kupiti svu hranu iz svih dijelova svijeta, manje ili više. Potrebno je samo da se informišete, gdje se nalaze marketi, restorani ili tržnice u gradu u koji idete. Tržnice su odlično dostupne, jeftine i bogate raznovrsnim voćem i povrćem. Zanimljivo je da je voće i povrće, koje je u mojoj državi jako skupo, ovdje veoma jeftino. Ukoliko u Kini imate prijatelja, možete ih zamoliti da vas uputi ili objasne gdje se nalaze marketi, tržnice i slično. No, ipak bih na prvo mjesto stavila izazov i avanturu u otkrivanju azijatske kuhinje i života u Kini generalno. Azijatska kuhinja, a posebno kineska je veoma bogata i raznovrsna. Ukoliko se prepustite ukusima, uživat ćete svakog momenta u svakom obroku.

Što se tiče jezika; na ulici ćete  malo teže da se sporazumite ukoliko zaustavite starije prolaznike. Ali, ubrzo sam shvatila, da, ukoliko zaustavite na ulici nekog mlađeg, recimo sudenta, uglavnom svi pričaju veoma dobro engleski jezik. A za svaki slučaj možete pripremiti rječnik u svom mobitelu ili se sporazumjeti putem raznih prevoditelja. Postoje i razni uređaji, kojima možete usmeno prevoditi govor što je mene posebno fasciniralo. Iz mog ličnog iskustva mislim da je ovo sasvim dovoljno. Naravno, kad stignete u Kinu potrebno je da kupite mobilni broj. Usluge mobilne telefonije ovdje su jako, jako povoljne. Prijatelj mi je preporučio, prije mog dolaska,  da ne kupujem odmah na Airodormu telefonski broj, jer su usluge, zavisno od provincije do provincije drukčije. Poslušala sam ga te sam broj kupila kada sam došla u okruženje gdje ću da boravim. 

Kupila sam telefonski broj sa uslugom koja košta 200 CNY što je otprilike 25,60 eura za cijelu godinu sa mjesečno  4 GB interneta i  80 minuta besplatnog domaćeg saobraćaja. Meni je ovo savršeno odgovaralo, jer sam za vani koristila druge kanale komunikacije. Nevjerovatno zar ne? Tako jeftino! 

Viber  savršeno odlično koristim i pozivi za vani se odvijaju odlično, bez smetnji, ali se ne mogu poslati slike. S tim da opet zavisi u kojem ste dijelu Kine, stoga bih svkako savjetovala da se informište. Ja sam u Pekingu, a on je glavni grad Kine te su internet komunikacije odlične.
Kina ima razvijenu svoju aplikaciju koju i preferira, a to je WeChat app, koji možete da instalirate sebi, svojoj familiji i prijateljima s kojima želite da ste u kontaktu. App je dostupan posvuda na internetu i besplatan je. I, naravno, skinula sam ovaj app, svojoj familiji i prijatelje uputila. Ukoliko planirate živjeti u Kini, ova aplikacija će vam olakšati kompletnu komunikaciju unutar države. Preko nje se vrši čak i plaćanje. Ovdje je manje više sve uglavnom digitalizovano. Plaćanje se uglavnom vrši putem WeChat koda mobilne aplikacije, karticama i sl.  
Ukoliko, prvi put dolazite u Kinu, savjetovala bih da na Airodromu, kada sletite, odete u Info servis te zamolite da vam pozovu taksi ili napišu vašu adresu sa engleskog na kineski, koju ćete pokazati taksi vozaču. Ja sam to uradila i savršeno je funkcionisalo. Savjetovala bih, da prije nego što uđete u taksi utvrdite cijenu putem  rječnika, koje ste ranije instalirali u vašem telefonu te tako dogovorite sve. A svakako i u Info servisu pitajte za taxi tarife, prije svega da imate okvirno sliku. Što se tiče stvari koje trebate ponijeti sa sobom; ovdje uglavnom sve manje ili više možete kupiti, samo se trebate informisati u kom supermarketu i gdje možete pronaći proizvode, koji su vam potrebni ili koji su kineski proizvodi identični traženim te njih možete uzeti kao zamjenu. Pronaći ćete rusku, njemačku, švicarsku, belgijsku robu pa i srpsku i hrvatsku. Ono što je mene posebno rastužilo jeste da još uvijek nigdje nisam uspjela pronaći niti jedan proizvod iz BiH. Nadam se da će se ovo uskoro promijeniti. Ukoliko ne pronađete u jednom marketu što vam treba, pokušajte dalje u nekom drugom. A svakako bih prije svega savjetovala da pokušate pronaći kinesku hranu, koja je u najmanju ruku slična onoj koju tražite.Toliko ovaj put. 

Hvala na čitanju. 

Pratite nas i pišite nam. 

English version

Here are some guidelines for all those who plan to travel to China soon, and for all those who are still considering own decision about. I hope my posts will help you in your organization. I will try in future to write posts about the magic and beauty of China I feel  and tray to bring it closer to you.
My greatest wish has always been to live in China. I was thrilled with her culture, tradition and dignity that I always felt around.  At that point I had to come to China I did not  think that something could be difficult or complicated or that language could be a barrier. Arriving in China for me was kind of  like going home. Generally, I do not differentiate people based on material world. I was always led by humanity. I had the feeling to know what to expect and how to expect. When I landed in Beijing, all I felt was getting in double. I was so happy, and every day I'm happier, because, China, it's simply not only delighted you every day, but every hour and every minute. Here,  you can mostly buy the food from all over the world, more or less. You just need to know where the  markets are, restaurants or markets in the city you are going to. The markets are great, cheap and rich in fruits and vegetables. Interestingly, the fruits and vegetables, which in my country are very expensive, are here very cheap. If you have a some friends in China, you could ask him to let you know or explain you where the market places or markets are. But even though I would on the first place put the challenge and adventure in discovering Asian cuisine and living in China in general.  Asian cuisine, especially Chinese, is very rich and varied. If you indulge in tastes, you will enjoy every moment. As far as the Chinese language is concerned, older people speak less English. Let's say on the street you will find better get in touch with the younger generation (but it's also in my country, nothing new). I realized soon that, if you stop a young people, and asked them what ever you like, all of them  speak very good English. And for each case you can prepare a dictionary in your cell phone or get in touch with various translators. There are also various devices that you can use to translate spoken words and something like that. From my personal experience I think this is quite enough. Mobile telephony services in China are very, very favorable. My friend recommended me before I came not to buy a phone number at Airport right away, because they are services, depending on the province to the province differently. I listened to him and bought the phone number when I came to the environment where I will be stay. I bought a phone number with a service that costs 200 CNY, which is approximately 25.60 euros for the whole year with monthly 4 GB of internet and 80 minutes of free domestic traffic. This was perfectly suited to me because I used other communication channels for the outside. Incredibly, is not? So cheap! Viber works perfectly good, but pictures I think cannot be sent. Again, depending on where you are in China, I would advise you to get the information about. I am in Beijing and he is the capital of China and the internet communications are excellent. China has developed also  WeChat App, which you can install into your phone, your family phones, and friends you want to be in touch with.The App is available everywhere online and is free of charge. And, of course, I downloaded this app, sent it to my family and friends. If you are planning to live in China, this application will help you by communication. Even paying is done by using only this application. Here, less or more everything is digitized. Payments are mainly made via the WeChat App code of mobile applications, cards, etc. If you come for the first time  to China, I would advise youon the  first place to go to Info Service at Airport when you land. Ask them to call you a taxi or write your address from English to Chinese, that you will show  to the taxi driver. I did it and it worked perfectly. 

I would like to advise you that before you enter into the taxi, determine the price through the dictionaries if the people  dont speak englisch, that you previously installed in your phone and arrange it all. And be sure to ask the Info service for the price and above all, so you will  have a rough picture. Thinks  you should take with you; here you can mostly buy everything, more or less, you only need to know in which  supermarkets and where you can find the products that you need or which Chinese products are identical to the ones you you would like to have as a replacement. You will find Russian, German, Swiss, Belgian goods, including Serbian and Croatian. What made me sad is that I have not been able to find any products from BiH yet. I hope this will change soon. If you do not find in one market what you need, try it in another one. And of course I would advise you first to try to find Chinese food that is at least similar to the one you are looking for. 

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