Culture shock occurs when all things relevant to our culture and experience that we learned, since childhood, no longer apply to our situation. The experience of culture shock can be very devastating. However, there is value in recognizing the symptoms and making preparations to minimize the experience. Not everyone experiences culture shock during relatively short stays. In fact this may be the exception and certainly not the rule. Culture shock is an emotional or physical experience created by circumstances that are significantly different from one’s usual environment, such as different languages or lifestyles. You can minimize your reaction to language differences by recognizing that you will not be able to communicate with many people except through signing or an interpreter. If you have visited ethnic communities in the United States or a foreign country where a different language is spoken, you should not have a problem with culture shock because of language differences. One very likely aspect of culture shock is our reaction to the poverty or lifestyles, which you confront. Most Americans have never seen people living under conditions like you may observe. The emotional impact of seeing people living in mud huts or urban slums can be traumatic. Seeing the conditions in which the food you are eating is prepared may be more unsettling. At some point during your stay, you may very likely experience negative emotions or discomfort with circumstances or conditions to which long term missionaries or Nationals seem oblivious. Understand that these things are normal to those that reside in that country. They will usually be eager to explain their point of view and help you to adapt to the way things are.
Several religions coexist in Nigeria, helping to accentuate regional and ethnic distinctions. All religions represented in Nigeria were practiced in every major city in 1990. The 2005 census according to the CIA world book indicated that 50 percent of Nigerians were Muslim, 40 percent Christian, and 10 percent members of local indigenous congregations. If accurate, this indicated a sharp increase in the number of Christians (up 18 percent). Islam is the dominate religion in the north while Christianity is most evident in the south.
The best preparation to guard against culture shock is spiritual preparation. Recognize that you are on this trip because you want to share the love of Jesus Christ. Pray that God will protect you in every circumstance and situation. Expect the prayer to be answered. Many missionaries will tell you that God has given them a “special stomach” on just such occasion. Go ye therefore expecting God to protect you from harm, including cultural shock.