"A Handbook on Culture Shock" by Rev. Victor Achima Owan

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A handshake and a handbook (both send a message)

"A Handbook on Culture Shock"
by Fr. Victor Owan

on WSKG Radio's
OFF THE PAGE
Tuesday, May 1 at 1pm
(Rebroadcast at 7pm)

        Cultural exchange is usually valuable to both guest and host, an opportunity for everyone to learn and grow, sharing deep insights and everyday experiences. Ordinary events can become exceptional learning opportunities. Things that people never really thought about can be revealed as important societal phenomena, or they can create moments of embarrassment. Should you look someone in the eye while speaking? What is the proper way to shake hands? Must you eat any food put before you, no matter how unfamiliar? Is it right to take out a loan to buy a car although you come from a society where "car ownership is considered a sign of richness, wealth or luxury"?
           All those questions marked the first days in America of Catholic priest Victor Owan. As a member of the clergy, of course, Father Owan had to deal with matters that another foreign visitor might never have to face, such as officiating at the first cremation he'd ever attended. But in general his culture shock will be shared by countless tourists, visitors and immigrants each year.
           Rev. Victor Achima Owan is from the Ejaghem / Etung society of Cross River State, Nigeria and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1996. In June, 2003 he arrived in New York at the invitation of the Diocese of Albany, assigned to a church in the Adirondack town of Hudson Falls. He is now Parochial Vicar of St. Mary's R.C. Church in Oneonta. (A chronic shortage in the ministry has lately caused the Catholic Church in the U.S. to recruit priests from overseas and Nigeria is a prime source).
           From his first days in Hudson Falls, Father Victor had to confront situations that were new, surprising and disorienting. In January of 2004 he began to organize his experience into "A Handbook on Culture Shock", subtitled "A Cross-Cultural Comparative Experience Between Nigeria (Ejaghem / Etung) and Upstate New York (Adirondacks)."
           The book is aimed partly at Catholic religious workers, with sections on contrasting marriage practices, the role of priests and the differences in religious observances in America and Nigeria ("in my home culture, people do not just go to or attend Mass, but they celebrate it.") However, even Father Owan's comments on sermons or homilies are presented in a context of cross-cultural communication. English is an official language in Nigeria, but its rhythms and accents may be unfamiliar to people in upstate New York, and colloquialisms may not transfer well. "With the unfolding realities of everyday life...every time I listened to people talk, I picked up new things every day." He also was advised to simplify his vocabulary when addressing his parishioners, some of whom were requesting a written text of his sermons.
One of the rules of common etiquette that Father Owan had to learn was that, "it is bad manners to point out that someone has bad manners." Mealtimes had become uncomfortable because of the Nigerian custom of eating in silence and pausing if a "senior person" had to speak. But the pastor of his first church took the opportunity to discuss Father Owan's new position with him over dinner. The Nigerian's meals grew cold until he learned that Americans can and do converse while eating.
           The nearly 500-page "Handbook" contains suggestions for minimizing cultural shock (the author doesn't believe it can be avoided - indeed, there is a "reverse cultural shock" that people experience returning to their homeland after a time abroad). Fr. Owan shares his experience with the Fruits of Acculturation Workshop he attended after his arrival in the U.S. and writes, "Our first task in approaching other people, another culture and another religion is to take off our shoes, for the place is holy, else we find ourselves treading on people's dreams and ideals."
           Father Victor Achima Owan joins Bill Jaker on OFF THE PAGE to share his cross-cultural experiences. To join in the discussion with your questions and comments call during the live 1:00 PM broadcast to 1-888/359-9754 or post an e-mail to WSKG.Radio@Gmail.com.

NEXT TIME: The field of economics is not all charts and graphs representing complex formulae. In his new book, "The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Answers to Everyday Enigmas", Cornell University management and economics professor Robert H. Frank demonstrates how such concepts as the cost-benefit principle explain much about human behavior. He visits OFF THE PAGE on Tuesday, May 15th to address such questions as, "Why does it cost more to transfer funds electronically than to send a check through the mail?"

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