Survival Kit for Overseas Living, Fourth Edition: For Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad

205 Pages·2001·0.51 MB·English

by  L. Robert Kohls

Survival Kit
for
Overseas
Living
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
L. ROBERT KOHLS
Survival Kit
for
Overseas
Living
FOR AMERICANS PLANNING TO
LIVE AND WORK ABROAD
Fourth Edition
This edition first published by Nicholas Brealey in association
with Intercultural Press in 2001.
Intercultural Press, Inc. Nicholas Brealey Publishing
PO Box 700 3–5 Spafield Street
Yarmouth, Maine 04096 USA London, EC1R 4QB, UK
Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.interculturalpress.com www.nbrealey-books.com
First published by Intercultural Press in 1979
© 1979, 1984, 1996, 2001 by L. Robert Kohls
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles or reviews.
Book design and production by Patty J. Topel
Cover design by Ken Leeder
ISBN 1-85788-292-X
Printed in the United States of America
06 05 04 03 3 4 5 6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kohls, L. Robert
Survival kit for overseas living: for Americans planning to live
and work abroad / L. Robert Kohls; with an introduction by David
S. Hoopes.—4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-85788-292-X
1. Americans—Foreign countries—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2.
Intercultural communication—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
E184.2.K64 1996
303.4'8273—dc20 95-23752
CIP
Substantial discounts on bulk quantities are available. For
details, discount information, or to request a free catalogue,
please contact the publishers at the addresses given above.
To Norma, my lifelong partner in the exploration and
mastery of strange lands and alien ways.
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Table of Contents
Preface ................................................................... ix
Introduction .......................................................... xv
1 So You’re Going Overseas ................................. 1
2 Others Have Gone Before .................................. 5
3 The Stereotyped American................................ 9
4 The Ugly American ......................................... 13
5 Primitivism Reconsidered ............................... 17
6 Culture Defined .............................................. 25
7 Comparing and Contrasting Cultures.............. 31
8 What Makes an American? .............................. 39
9 To See Ourselves ............................................ 45
10 Traveling by Objectives .................................. 51
11 On Becoming a Foreigner ............................... 55
12 A Strategy for Strangers ................................. 59
13 Know Thy Host Country ................................. 63
vii
Survival Kit for Overseas Living
14 Let’s Play Q and A ........................................... 69
15 Speaking of Learning the Language ................ 75
16 Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty .................... 79
17 A Handy Guide to
Intercultural Communication ......................... 83
18 Culture Shock: Occupational
Hazard of Overseas Living .............................. 91
19 Responding to Culture Shock ....................... 101
20 Skills that Make a Difference ........................ 109
21 Husbands, Wives, and Children .................... 113
22 Minding Other People’s Business .................. 119
23 The Challenge .............................................. 131
Postscript 1: So You’re Coming Back Home? ........ 133
Postscript 2: Jaunts and Junkets.......................... 141
Appendices
A. The Kluckhohn Model ................................. 150
B. Information-Gathering Checklist
about Your Host Country ............................ 153
C. A Human Profile ......................................... 157
D. Logistics Checklists .................................... 159
E. Additional Resources .................................. 167
F. Template for Gathering Information
about Doing Business in Your Country of
Assignment ................................................ 181
About the Author ................................................ 187
viii
Preface
I had not read Survival Kit for Overseas Living, origi-
nally published in 1979, since the last time I revised it
(1996). To my surprise, I felt it had stood the test of
time rather well, and in all humility, I felt that perhaps
it might even stand up to the high praise which some
in the intercultural field have given it by calling it a
“classic.” I have also been encouraged by the fact that,
to my knowledge at least, none of my professional col-
leagues have criticized the fundamental premises on
which the book is based. It is often easy to criticize
when someone tries to simplify any body of profes-
sional knowledge so that the layperson can understand
its basic concepts and apply them in practice, as in
this case to living in another country.
These facts, plus the additional fact that Survival Kit
remains the best-seller in the Intercultural Press’ stable
of publications, have encouraged me to bring the book
up-to-date again. I am most appreciative of the many
people who have told me over the past two decades
how useful this small book was in helping them per-
sonally adjust to another country and its unfamiliar
ix