CultureShock! Ecuador is a must for anyone wishing to visit or settle in Ecuador. Packed with essential information, resource guides and language tips, this book covers every practicality, and provides an in-depth understanding of the people and culture of this diverse country which is also known for its Panama hats and many species of turtles. CultureShock! Ecuador is the comprehensive guide that will lead you through the ups and downs of settling into life in this fascinating country and help you to appreciate what it truly means to be in Ecuador.

CultureShock! Brazil dispels the preconceptions about this diverse dynamic country and reveals the beauty and character that is Brazil. Written in a personable style, the book touches on all aspects of Brazilian life presenting the reader with a balanced, realistic and useful guide. Be introduced to the friendly and outgoing Brazilian character and understand how to speak Brazilian. Socialising is key to life in Brazil, which is why CultureShock! Brazil is packed with information and advice on dealing with crowds, noise and learning to not only survive but enjoy the experience that is Brazil.

CultureShock! Cuba offers an insight into a highly contradictory country, where there are more grey areas than black and white. Here is a balanced account of Cuba’s current realities, a useful guide for people who wish to visit or do business in Cuba. Learn from the locals how they survive in Cuba with the little they have. Find out how the importance of public good over individual right has helped take care of every single citizen in the country. More than just providing the practical information to help you settle into Cuba, the authors draw from their personal experiences to give a deeper understanding of the life and culture of these friendly, warm and straight-forward people. CultureShock! Cuba is your ultimate survival guide to this colourful country.

Venezuela occasionally features in world news in connection with its rich oil resources, its obsession with beauty pageants, its outspoken and colourful president, Hugo Chávez, or the world's highest waterfall - and little else. However, beyond the headlines, this beautiful and diverse country has so much more to offer to all types of visitors - hiking the 'Lost World' landscape of Conan Doyle, piranha-fishing from dugout canoes, paragliding from Andean peaks and windsurfing on Margarita Island. Taking travellers to the wildest of fiestas, inside the steamiest salsa bars and introducing visitors to the quirkiest of local customs, Bradt's Venezuela leads tourists from the Caribbean coast to the southern tropical wilderness, delving into the culture and eccentricities of the country more deeply than any other guide.

The educational literature suggests that international contact contributes to a comprehensive educational experience. The Five Stages of Culture Shock examines an international shipboard educational program and seeks to identify specific insights resulting from informal extracurricular contact between students and host nationals in the context of culture shock experiences. Using the critical incident methodology, Pedersen analyzes students' responses to nearly 300 specific incidents which resulted in insights that apply to the students' own development, as well as the sociocultural context of the host countries. This use of critical incidents shows one way to evaluate and assess the subjective experiences of the informal curriculum. More broadly, the analysis sheds light on the concept of culture shock as a psychological construct.

A guide to adapting and thriving within unfamiliar cultural settings challenges the notion that professional life interacts with culture only at the etiquette level, distinguishing between rule-based and relationship-based cultures while considering the roles of such factors as competition, security, and lifestyle. (Social Science)