Cultural Fatigue

I think that those who don't make Szanton's constant adjustments lose the plot sooner and suffer greater cultural fatigue, because they view the whole world through the narrow frame of their own cultural bias and thus never develop any empathy with the people who they are travelling amongst...they understand nothing that happens during their journey and leave with a bunch of false impressions and without learning anything useful.
Examples are: 1.almost all colonial powers during the age of european expansion.
2. most tourists

Asiabill from has written 253 comments

Interesting Concept and thanks for posting it cause I never heard of it before and I love exploring new paths of thoughts. I've met many peace corps people or people who were formerly peace corps volunteers. I found them similiar to Foreign Service Embassy staff and military personel, those who thought they needed to join an organization to travel the world or rather chose to join an organization to "see the world" rather than choosing to GO FOR IT alone. Many peace corps volunteers stayed away and continued living overseas after their 2 year to 4 year terms expired and these seem to be the most interesting individuals for me. I wonder if cultural fatique condition is possible in one's own country of origin???? That might explain why I KNEW that the middleclass American way of life was NOT for me.

Gadget from has written 831 comments

Mr David L. Szanton is saying to make the adjustments needed causes the fatigue. We must make them, there is no choice. I come from an area of the USA where there are many manners, I believe Jamaica would be painful. While there is a joke that people from New York fit in perfect in Jamaica.

What we normally do is not correct, we must make an adjustment.
I say hello to the reception desk, the person ignores me, I must accept or adjust and not say hello.

A person can lose their identity, this is when a person loses the plot, they do not know who they are and it changes daily. When a person starts wearing all the clothes of the locals even when they do not make sense.

Going native is what people are searching for, in essence the people who fit in the best become like the locals. The closer you are in behavior and mentality to the locals, the less you need to adjust, therefore the less adjustment made, the less fatigue.

I see expats in countries who never associate with the locals.

I become very agitated in Africa because I have no expats to talk with, therefore I never have a break from the adjustments, I must retreat into my hotel room and hide. I am hiding right now in the Philippines, I do not fit in with the locals or the expats. I do not drink alcohol or smoke.

An American can normally go to Australia easier and live than going to China.

Asiabill from has written 253 comments

I have seen dozens of foreigners who went "TROPPO" another term used describing Expats who have lost the plot while traveling or living in tropical countries where the alchohol is often dirt cheap. "Rummies" is another term used for foreigners who have gone "downhill" by getting drunk everyday on the U$1+ liters ( quarts ) of local rum.One sign of a foreigner's "cultural fatique" is when he switches from drinking beer to rum and starts creating a number of "poor me" stories he shares with tourists seeking their sympathy and monetary charity.

One New Zealander was a great example, he started out renting an apt in Makati, driving a late model sedan and within 2 to 3 years ended up practically homeless driving and sleeping in a jeepney. Recently a guy from Detroit who'd grown up in Brooklyn, NYC came over to meet a Filipina he'd been chatting with and only had a U$700 / month unemployment check to support himself then got a job as a telemarketing supervisor in a call center, according to him for nearly double what Filipinos get. About a year or more later his unemployment had run out, he was let go from his local job and he was spotted sleeping during the daytime in public areas nearby.

The manners issue is weird because S.E. Asians, Filipinos included inside their family and employment social circles are extremely polite, respectful and mannerly but when they're in public manners and respect for others seem to disappear. I noticed this in Bali also. I often say that manners and morals are a "luxury" of the middleclass as neither the POOR nor the RICH seem to care as much abut them. Population density may also be responsible for the lack of manners you are coming across during your present stay in Manila. Years ago I read about behavior studies about how mice change when their space is limited and population increases.

An old friend of mine in California coined a phrase that stuck with me that went something like this, " widespread possession of guns among Americans makes a very polite, mannerly society" except it was shorter and more catchy.

Motorcycle Bob from has written 82 comments

*An armed society is a polite society*

Although, it is not the guns that make this culture polite, but rather the politeness of this society that makes gun ownership a good thing. I was asked by an Englishman once if I would intervene if someone was breaking into my neighbors house. I told him that it was a silly question, of course I would. What kind of neighbor would I be if I did not? I don't know if this gent was typical of the English attitude, but he seemed shocked. Now, yes, if I thought there was time I might also call the police, but not necessarily.

wrote 1 comment

Andy, much less fatigue factors here in Dumaguete. I go crazy after 1 week in Malate.