Cultural Shock- The Honey Moon Stage

Cultural Shock occurs when a person moves into a culture that is different from his or her own culture. An emotional trauma occurs from the frustrations of dealing with the host cultures way of communicating, customs, and value systems. Frustrations can come from anything the new culture offers such as food availability, standards of cleanliness, personal safety, accommodations, and much more such as the difference in routine. People may feel like an outsider, holding different values in comparison to the people within the new culture. People loose what is familiar and normal to them and may experience the cultural shock.

The first stage of cultural shock is excitement. I was very excited when I landed in Australia because I landed in Cairns and had the opportunity to dive the Great Barrier Reef, play with kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, and ATV through the jungle. I was then headed for Coffs Harbour to work with dolphins and seals, which is something not many people get to do. This was my honeymoon stage because everything was so new and exciting. This is the stage where most employees feel a sense of excitement for new opportunities to work and new steps in there career. 

The Journey- My Very Long Plane Ride

The Journey

I started my journey to Australia in Philly, where I met up with my best friend Julia. From there we traveled to Los Angelas. The flight was about seven hours and we forced out selves to stay up through it. We watched movies and played some games. It was important that we didn't fall asleep until we got on to our next flight because we knew the jet lag would be a lot worse. We managed to stay wake though. I ended up watching the Fox and the Hound. It was sad but as usual a Disney classic and very good

Navigation through the LA airport was a bit complicated. Many of the people were rude or just did not care which made finding the next terminal hard. We ended up having to take a bus shuttle to a separate building and then found our way to the gate. We looked around and had dinner at Chillies. We got the queso dip, which is one of my favorites, and split chicken fajitas. After dinner, we went to the gate and sat down.

Other intern abroad students recognized the GlobaLinks tag on our carry on and we were able to introduce our selves before the flight. Everyone seemed excited and nervous at the same time.

The flight from LA to Brisbane was 14 hours. This wasn't so bad because unit was night time already and we could finally fall asleep. They actually fed us too and I mean really good food. For dinner, I had chicken and vegetables, a salad, a biscuit, apple juice, chocolate, tiramisu dessert, and teas. Then we received a refresher package, which included water, a bag of potato chips, a chocolate bar, and a fig bar. For breakfast, we had mushroom egg omelet with tomatoes and spinach, a fig muffin, tea, fruit, and yogurt. Not only did the plane have good food but also each seat had a built in TV in the headrest and showed premium movies. I could watch anything I wanted for free. The movies were all new releases too. I ended up watching The Watch and a movie about biking. They even gave us a blanket, pillow, eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, and headphones. This plane came with everything and the staff was super sweet. Even with all the luxury, sleeping was difficult. I closed my eyes and tied to keep them closed but a good sleep was out of the question.

For breakfast, I had mushroom spinach eggs, fruit, granola, tea, apple juice, and a fig muffin. All of which was good. I was ready to land though and be back on land. Once we landed in Brisbane we had an hour wait for our next flight which was taking all 9 interns to Cairns. This flight was about 3 hours. Julia and I sat next to each other and watched movies and played games.

When we landed I went to the currency desk to exchange money. The American dollar is very weak compared to the Australian dollar which meant I ended up with less money than when I started. After I exchanged my money all the interns picked up their bags and met up with Ross our tour guide. Mentor for the week. We then headed off to Gilligans Back Packers Hotel.

Goals to Accomplish During My Internship

My Goals- Personal and Professional:

My main goal is to learn the processes that contribute to a successful marine park. I hope to gain insight into running a facility, along with caring for the animals and maintaining enclosures. I am also interested in learning the different behaviors that marine mammals exhibit and the way in which they adapt to living in the facility. I am excited to observe the training of dolphins by means of reinforcement, bridges, discriminative stimulus, and least reinforcing stimulus. Dolphin training is one of the many skills I hope to acquire from working with the marine trainers.

While I love learning and acquiring new skills in my field, I find it much more fulfilling to share the knowledge with others. I would like raise awareness on environmental issues in my community and instruct others on how to improve the conditions of our oceans and the surrounding areas. Through my internship, I hope to share my passion for marine life with visitors and inspire them to become not only more aware of marine life but more active in the preservation of our oceans and its inhabitants.

Another goal of mine is to network. Through networking, I will meet others who share my enthusiasm for marine life. I hope to meet as many people in the field as possible—people that I can both learn from and teach. Since these new people will be potential business partners, I look forward to the opportunity to share ideas.

Lastly, I would like to experience personally the cultural differences between Americans and Australians. As an American, I automatically picture the stereotypical “Aussie.” Do they really eat shrimp on the “Barbie”? Do they all act like crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin? Probably not. After doing a little research, I discovered that Australians work to live, while Americans live to work. Their cuisine is also quite different from that of Americans. They enjoy a paste made from yeast extract called vegemite, and I am excited to try it on my toast. Aussie lingo and conversational mannerisms are also very different from American culture. Certain words in the American language that are hurtful or rude are considered playful slang terms in Australian culture. These are just a few differences in the culture, and I am sure I will experience many more. Adjusting to these cultural differences may prove challenging, but I look forward to immersing myself in a new culture. My internship abroad is not only a learning experience advantageous to my career path, but a worthwhile opportunity contributing to my inner growth.

Dress Code

What will I be wearing?

The dress code at Dolphin Marine Magic entails wearing comfortable sneakers or water shoes. I went out and bought new sneakers and yes I bought crocs. My supervisor suggested crocs and I was skeptical at first because they aren't exactly the most appealing shoe. They are pretty comfortable though and have a roomy fit. I also bought button accessories that pop into the holes of the shoe. The buttons include an anchor, octopus, clam, angler-fish  dolphin, and puffer fish. Yes, you can call me a dork, but the little sea creatures make me smile when I look down.

Croc Ocean Charms

Dolphin Marine Magic provides uniform consisting of a hat, shirt, and jumper. I provide my own shorts and pants and they have to be blue or black. I went and bought old navy shorts in the 5" and 7" length. Though it's winter here in Jersey, in Australia it's summer time and the temps are in the 80's. 

I also need to bring bathing-suits for when I interact with the dolphins. This part of the job is truly exciting because It's not everyday you get the chance to work with Dolphins.  

This is going to be a dirty job since it's more than likely that my clothes will become wet and soiled, so packing enough shorts and bathing suits is essential!

Duties as an Intern

My Job Description

My usual work day at Dolphin Marine Magic will be from 7:30 to 4:00. During my internship, my duties will include assisting with food preparation and animal feeding; cleaning food buckets, the fish kitchen, and enclosures; and assisting guests in show participation. 

In the morning, my duties will include assisting photographers and the marine staff and trainers in the fish kitchen. My mid-day duties will include preparing reef tank and penguin feedings, feeding the fresh and saltwater turtles, washing and emptying fish buckets and pouches, assisting with crowd control for kissing and feeding interactions and during shows, and cleaning. My afternoon duties will include assisting trainers with training, weighing seals, and other odd jobs. I will also assist with the feeding and walking of animals while supervised. 

When first placed at the Dolphin Marine Magic, my expectations mostly included working with the animals. While I intend to execute my other duties around the park with enthusiasm, I am most excited to work with marine specialists. Melinda Bathgate, my host advisor, has confirmed that I will be working mainly with the trainers in the marine department. Because the park is so small, Melinda says that I will be seeing my fair share of animals.

 It is my hope that by learning the processes conducive to a successful marine park, I will be better equipped to build new programs and facilities in my community.

My Internship Site

Dolphin Marine Magic

I leave for Australia in 6 days. I will be interning there for ten weeks at Dolphin Marine Magic as a Marine Mammal Trainers Assistant. I am extremely excited for this experience and the opportunities that may arise from it.

About Dolphin Marine Magic:

Dolphin Marine Magic is located in Australia’s Coffs Harbour and is a major tourist destination. Many visitors fly in from Sydney because the travel time is relatively short, and the airport is close in proximity. 

Hec Goodall founded Dolphin Marine Magic, originally called Pet Porpoise Pool. The facility opened on Boxing Day in 1970, with its main purpose being the rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals. The facility has since become a permanent home for mammals with severe injuries and mammals unable to be released back into the wild. 

Today, the facility still focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals, but a tourist element is now included—the animals being cared for are displayed to the public. Displays include bottle nose dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, endangered Australian sea lions, little blue penguins, sea turtles, both short neck and Eastern long neck freshwater turtles. Dolphins are among the many animals that have been trained to do tricks. Remaining true to their slogan “be touched by magic,” the park even offers guests the opportunity to be kissed by a dolphin or seal. Perhaps most notably, Dolphin Marine Magic is one of only two facilities in Australia that display cetaceans, making it a great tourist destination.

Check out their website:
Dolphin Marine Magic

Hatchetfish

Hatchetfish: 

The series Blue Planet featured a segment on the deep sea. The film focused on how fish use bioluminescence, navigate within the twilight zone and the deep abyss, and find food and mates when resources are limited. The film also featured hatchetfish, which are very interesting creatures.

Hatchetfish belong to the family Sternoptychidae. Forty-five known species of Hatchetfish have been discovered thus far. The size of the species varies but on average, the Hatchetfish is no bigger than 10 centimeters. They can be found in warm temperate waters at depths of 200 to 1000 meters.

The Hatchetfish received its name because their body shape is similar to that of a hatchet. The body of the Hatchetfish is flat and compressed with shiny mirror-like sides. The mirror-like sides manipulate light particles that have reached the depths. The reflected light makes the Hatchetfish disappear in the deep abyss by making it appear dark in coloration.

The eyes of the Hatchetfish face upward so that glimpse of light can be utilized to find potential prey items like plankton and crustaceans. The technique the Hatchetfish employ to find food is similar to techniques exploited by its predators. Hatchetfish have photophores and bioluminescent organs that line the ventral side of its body in order to defend themselves from predators looking up at their silhouette. The photophores contain a chemical called luciferin that produces ultraviolet light. The light produced breaks up the silhouette of the Hatchetfish by making the ventral side have a similar brightness to the light particles that have reached the depths. The Hatchetfish is able to control the amount of light given off by its body depending on the amount of light being emitted by the environment around it. This technique is called counter illumination.

The Hatchetfish uses strategies such as a mirror like bodies, counter illumination in order to remain concealed from predators, and had large eyes that face upward in order to find prey. These strategies have allowed the Hatchetfish to survive in the deep-sea.

Work Cited
"BBC - Science & Nature - Sea Life - Fact Files." BBC - Homepage. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles/fish/hatchetfish_bg.shtml>.
Mensinger, A.F. "THE SKIN | Bioluminescence in Fishes." ScienceDirect. Ezproxy, 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.stockton.edu:2048/science/article/pii/B978012374553800160X>.