Living in a second culture can be like riding on a roller coaster. Sometimes foreign visitors are elated; sometimes they are depressed. First there is the combination of enthusiasm and excitement that is felt while traveling. New foods and aromas, different faces, foreign language, and interesting customs all fascinate the travelers. A foreign visitor usually has high expectations and is eager to become familiar with a new culture.
Of course, international travelers may have difficulties in understanding the adjustment problems that trouble them. Many people do not recognize that the problems, feelings, and mood changes that are related to living in a second culture are not unique. It is common for international visitors or immigrants to vacillate between loving and bating a new country. The newness and strangeness of a foreign culture are bound to affect a traveler's emotions.
"Culture shock" occurs as a result of total immersion in a new culture. It happens to "people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad". Newcomers may be anxious because they do not speak the language, know the customs, or understand people's behavior in daily life. The visitor finds that "yes" may not always mean "yes", or that statements that appear to be serious are really intended as jokes. The notion of "culture shock" helps explain feelings of bewilderment and disorientation. Language problems do not account for all the frustrations that people feel. When one is deprived of everything that was once familiar, such as understanding a transportation system, knowing how to register for university classes, or knowing how to make friends, difficulties in coping with new society may arise. The word "elated" (Para. 1, Line 2) means ______.