Therefore, if we learn more about the host country, we may begin to have an understanding of the different norms and customs in our new environment.
I agree with this. Learning about the country or culture that you are attending is super important so that you have some sort of knowledge going in, and you are not blindsided by how different things might be compared to your own culture.
The W shape represents the fluctuation of travelers' emotions when adapting to a new culture, and then when re-adapting to their home culture.
I like the way they use this as a representation. If you have traveled outside of the country, I'm sure you can relate to these emotions of travel. These are emotions that everyone goes through as they experience a new culture.
When we enter a new culture, many of those familiar signs and signals are gone
I like this statement because it states the reality of stepping out of your comfort zone. Culture shock can happen as we find ourselves in other cultures. The feeling of helplessness can be a good thing, stepping out of your comfort zone with an open mind is important.
Those who travel with an open mind and heart, who take the experiences as they come in a more spontaneous way tend to adapt better.
I like this statement because this is just another reason why there are valid reasons to have an open mind and heart. This is something not many people would think about but it is important. Having an open mind in these situations can help you as you travel.
but not everybody experiences culture shock the same way.
This statement is very true. Everybody has a different experience with cultural shock and the many different things that go into effect with it. Understanding cultural shock is important so that you do not have a negative experience.
people have expectations about the appropriateness of nonverbal behavior, which is learned and culturally driven.
Expectations for cultures varies with different cultures and beliefs, but I like that this is included because this is another thing most people wouldn't think affects people of certain cultures. To some people wearing the right clothing and dressing the correct way is totally different to us.
It's not just how we drive that may be different, but as well what it is we use our cars for.
I like this statement becuase there are many different things different cultures do when it comes to transportation. In some cultures cars are not even a thing, or very uncommon. Which to us is very odd because that is one of our main ways of transportation.
The caution in using gestures extends to those which may be widespread in a culture,
Some things that we do in the U.S are very offensive in other countries, and vice versa. Learning cultrual gestures when talking to another person from a different culture is important so you don't offend or hurt them.
“body language”
Body language can be something that most people don't think about when talking to others but it shows a lot of emotion when you think about it. Using body language can help others interpret better what you are trying to say.
It is likely that most individuals would be surprised to learn how important nonverbal behavior is in conveying messages during conversations.
Non-verbal communication is something that everyone needs to learn how to communicate with because it can mean a lot and you won't know unless you learn it.