Culture Shock Lesson

Introduction
1 Vero introduces herself and mentions all her credentials.
2 Storytelling: Vero tells a personal story of the culture shock she experienced when
she lived in Germany.
3 Have students work in small groups and introduce themselves say their names,
nationality and how long have they been in Mexico. Let students work in small
groups so that they feel more confident. While students work monitor and take notes
of what they mention.
4 Ask for volunteers to say aloud to the class their names, nationality and how long
have they been in Mexico.
Ice breaker activity
1 Have students sit in a circle. Explain students they are going to play lottery salad.
Nominate a student to be “in”, that student stands in the center of the circle.
Tell students you are going to name them, and they should memorize their new
name.
Vero goes around the circle naming students either “El borracho”, “La dama”, “El
Valiente”. (You can make copies of these cards and give them to each student but
ask them NOT to show their card).
The student who is “in”, calls the name of a lottery card.
If he/she calls out “La dama” everyone who is “La dama” must get up quickly and
change places.
The students who are NOT “La dama” remain seated.
The person who is “in” tries to sit in an empty spot whenever players swap positions.
If they manage to sit in a chair the student not sitting in a chair is then “in”.
The student in the middle can also call “lottery salad” and everyone who is seated
has to change spots. The game can finish whenever you like.

Culture Shock
1 Ask students: What things caused you a culture shock the first time you were in
Mexico?
2 Give each student a copy of the following information.

The live and let live culture

 Mexicans can be called laidback people. Mexicans tend to not complain about other
people but that means it is a two way street. For example if your neighbors play
music loud one night and have friends over you might think this is horrible and you
should call the police to complain. However if you played music loud one night most
Mexican would just think you are having a nice night and never say anything. This
 concept of live and let live might be hard from some people to get used to especially
if you are used to worrying about things.

Mexican can make any insult their name

 You might have heard someone called Flaco or Gordo before. This literally means
skinny or fatty. Mexicans can take on nicknames and use them their whole lives. It is
part of the society that knows they are fat and take on the name. Mexicans can be a
bit more realistic than other cultures. In some countries, just asking someone if they
have gained weight is an offensive thing to say. Many people joke to deflect how they
are or what shape they are in. For the most part in Mexico, it is fun loving friends
that give a nickname and people take them on.  

It takes three tries to say goodbye from a Mexican

 If you are ever with Mexicans and they go to say goodbye it seems it is never a
simple “goodbye”. It is always followed with another comment which extends the
conversation and then another comment. This is not a big thing to notice and you
may not of noticed it before, but now that you know you will smile next time you see
it happen.

Wish everyone a happy meal

 For most people the international term is “Bon appetite” but it is usually reserved for
dinner parties in many countries outside of  France. In Mexico it is very common to
say “Buen Provecho” or just “Provecho” to anyone that is eating even if you are walking
though a restaurant or enter a store and the clerk is eating lunch. This is just
considered a polite thing to do. Of course if you walk by multiple people it is not
necessary to say it to each individual. Most people will reply with a thank you.

Multitasking it not that popular in Mexico

 If you go to any governmental office or any line for a service you will notice that it is
slow. When you get to talk to someone it is like you are the only one there and they
give you their full attention. In general people in Mexico focus on what they are
doing and don’t do multiple things at once. This may coincide with the sense of time 
in Mexico.

Sense of time in Mexico

 The reputation proceeds the boarders of Mexico on this one! Since many people
know time is more relaxed and especially in the Caribbean the sense of time can
come in many forms like being late often or no sense of urgency. Sometimes you
might wonder how anything every gets done because everyone is waiting on
everyone else! If you come from a more punctual country this might drive you crazy,
but look on the good side, when you do run late, you are basically on time according
 to the locals you are supposed to be meeting. Many in Mexico don’t keep looking at
the clock or cell phone all the time. Time is used as a general rule and not an exact
point in time.

Mexicans love death or so it seems

 The view toward death is not as solemn as most other countries. This is displayed at
the Day of the Dead  where there is almost a festival like atmosphere. All over Mexico
and Playa Del Carmen you find souvenir shops selling painted skulls, skeleton dolls
and the famous Catrina figure, which is a woman skeleton in a dress. Death is not
feared as much but rather just part of life and the art and culture reflect a
fascination with it.
No news and yellow news in Mexico
Most Mexican don’t pay much attention to the news. There is no nightly news channel
and most people just see things in a Facebook feed. People tend to live their life and not
follow international events. However local newspapers love to use attention grabbing
photos to get people to pick it up and read. This is called “yellow news“. Often you will
see  a photo of a car crash with victims or people that have gotten in a fight in full color
photos with blood in the paper. This can seem graphic and it can make you wonder what
type of place are you visiting or living in. Just remember the same things happen in all
countries, just some types of photos are not show in media in some places.

Government offices, banks and all the paperwork

 Mexico is often called the land of paperwork. You will need copies of everything and
the requirements often change from one person to another in the same office.
Service at many governmental agencies and banks is often slow but the good news is
that when you get to the front of the line you are often treated with full attention like
no one else is waiting. Be prepared to have lots of paperwork when in Mexico and
just try not to have to deal with many offices so it eliminates the hassle. Make sure
you save everything and just create big folders for all your papers.

Driving in Mexico
 In general it is fairly easy to get a license in Mexico (without rigorous test) so this can
mean drivers are not the best skilled. Taxi drivers are often ridiculed for bad driving
and speeding to get the next fare. You might have to do a little more defensive
driving in Mexico and look out for other bad drivers. One thing you really have to
look out for is topes (speed bumps). They are everywhere, in the middle of roads, in
neighborhoods, and on highways. These are self working speed guards to keep
people from flying around. It takes some getting used to and for sure there will be
some last minute screeching to avoid them at times. There are also some local
driving customs you will have to get used to.

Spending money and living month to month

 Around the 1st and 15th of every month you will notice lines outside of banks in
Mexico. This is because most people get paid twice a month with automatic deposit
and people go to withdraw their money. Since wages are low, people often spend all
their money each month and saving accounts are not a very common thing. This
monthly pattern can also effect shopping especially in grocery stores. The stores will
be more busy close to paydays. Try to avoid going to the bank and shopping near the
1st and 15th of the month.

Forget the bank and call on family or friends

 In other countries people tend to rely on banks and money more then friends and
families. In Mexico the support circle starts with the family unit and is perhaps why
families are so close and important. Access to credit is available but often at high
interest rates. It is preferable to borrow from family and also rely on family
connections to answer problems rather then throwing money at it.

Class and racism

 No one likes to talk about this in Mexico and many Mexicans will deny that the levels
of racism exist, but to outsiders this might be an obvious unspoken division in
society. When it come to class, there are three levels of society. There is the “whiter”
more Spanish looking class that tend to be on TV, news reporters, and in
advertisements. The next class is the mix background people in Mexico that have a
“Mexican” look but are not indigenous. The bottom class is the darker skin color and
more indigenous people. With different classes of people there is no surprise there
is racism. It is not outright but comments made might sound like something out of
1940’s southern United States. The most prejudice is against the more indigenous
Mayan looking people. It is not to the level of preventing people from going to
certain areas but your service in some places can be very different based on your
social class or ethnic background. For tourist this is not really an issue. It is mostly
wholly within Mexico and between peoples of Mexico.

Tipping in Mexico
 Mexico follows the pattern of tipping at restaurants in the United States sort of. For a
basic restaurant that might cost under 100 pesos you might not leave a tip. In
restaurants where there is a waiter, but not an upscale restaurant, you might leave
10%. For sit down dinner restaurants you normally leave 15%. Small tips go for the
people that bag your groceries and if someone waves you in and out of a parking
spot. Tipping in a taxi is not normal and only for special services would you tip at a
laundry mat. See our article on tipping here for more details.

Drinking the water and how the water system works

 The first thing people tell you when you say you are going to Mexico is “Don’t drink the
water“. The truth is there is just a different type of water system in  Mexico. The water
in your home is just for washing and purified water is bought and kept in large
 containers usually in the kitchen. It is not that the water is very polluted,  it has more
to do with the heavy mineral levels in the local water. It is also prevents you from
using drinking water to flush your toilet. The two water systems are separate. This
makes sense once you think about it

3 Ask each student to help you read each paragraph of the copy. Then comment
on each situation.

Wrap Up

1 Have students say what they learned in this session and how they feel now that
they know there are other people who have experienced culture shock.