What’s the cross-cultural specialists’ view about the difficulty in adjusting to life in a new culture?

M: Miss Moor, nowadays more and more Chinese students are keen on going abroad to pursue their study. Most of them imagine the life in the new country to be wonderful and exciting, but is it true all the time?
W: Some cross-cultural specialists say that it is not easy to adjust to life in a new culture. People often feel uncomfortable in a new cultural environment.
M: Have you any personal experiences of it when abroad or while in contact with foreigners?
W: Certainly. I have lived in many different countries. A simple example would be the unfamiliarity ! feel when visiting London. The traffic patterns there are so different — Londoners drive on the left side of the road; we drive on the right. In fact, we can experience discomfort even within regions of our own country, and the degree of discomfort an individual experiences depends on how great the cultural differences are, and how well we prepare ourselves for it.
M: Is it possible for us to be prepared for discomfort?
W: Sure. Discomfort can be reduced by study and preparation. Studying the language, history and customs of the new culture is helpful. One’ of my students, for example, has studied English for several years. Additionally, he has spent hours watching American television and films, from which he has gathered a wide variety of idiomatic expressions. Also, the programs have introduced him to some aspects of’ American daily life. From his experience, it appears that advance preparation can reduce the degree of discomfort. And it is also important for us to learn to be more tolerant and understanding when we encounter people and customs which are "foreign" to us.