Culture shock in your new city: What are the odds?

Thanks to Wijdoenmee, one of our sponsors, this Integration Chatroom (ICR) will be the sixth episode of the Integration Chatroom project organized by Stichting Unity in Diversity. It will take place on the 20th of March 2019, from 18:00 to 20:00, at The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Kortenaerkade 12, Den Haag.

The focus of the ICR project is to connect people of different backgrounds together and to share their socio-cultural experiences in The Netherlands. In our previous ICR, we highlighted the importance of a healthy active lifestyle; because, generally speaking, the topic of health of refugees seems to be systematically ignored by national policies. UID strove to fill that policy gap on the local level and shared the message not only through our cultural diversity but also through the way we consider living healthy, sharing common ties with one another. In our chatroom events, we had various participants from different countries. For example, Syrians, Eritreans, Dutch and other nationals.

The topic for this edition is “culture shock”. This ICR will give attendees the chance to share their experiences with culture shock in a new city. What were some expectations and what was the reality? What is different or what is surprisingly so similar? We also want to learn a thing or two from each other about how to navigate through a new culture. Through this fun and informal discussion, we hope to be able to foster a sense of community and see that we can go beyond the shock together!

Why this project?

When you come into a new community, you discover the diverse cultures in play. In the course of our daily lives, these cultural differences play a role; it can be positive, and it can also be negative. You find cultural differences in your daily life outside of your home country.

In this chat evening, we will take a seat, relax and hear people tell us about the culture shock they had while adjusting in a new place. We invite everyone! Including you to come, chat with us, help someone overcome similar challenges, and enjoy some food with us!

To sign up, click here

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