Culture Shock Stage 2: Denial
You are caught between the positive vacation feelings and newer negative feelings stemming from having to face the reality of living here for two or three years. You are still excited but somehow the feelings are more forced. For many, the initial reaction is to deny the negative feelings, or starting to feel that you must be doing something wrong because of course you should be excited.
Culture Shock Stage 3: Anger
Attempts to deny have failed. Now the negative feelings come flying out in ugly chunks. You begin to dwell on the negative aspects of life in the host country. You feel unsure, anxious about the future. You feel like you don't deserve this; your experience abroad should be a daily diet of PBS-like discovery.
I've found in myself that this stage is often triggered by some bad day-like event that instead of seeing as one of those things, I instead blame on the host country. Trains can run late anywhere in the world, but if you find yourself saying “Those darn [INSERT DEROGATORY TERM FOR HOST COUNTRY PEOPLE] can't even get a train to run on time” you are thick into this stage.
Next is Escape
Then Depression.
Fuck
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