Job Discussion Forums

[Mchristophermsw]

I have travelled extensively and have always felt more at home outside the USA. I have never once had culture shock abroad but I have experienced "reveresed culture shock" coming back to the USA.

Has anyone experienced "reverse culture shock" coming back to their respected countries and if so please share your story

[tedkarma]

In our Peace Corps training - before returning home - they cited some research (don't recall the source) that theorized that reverse culture shock was directly related to how well you had adapted to your "other" culture.

But, I also read a quote I really liked one time (sorry, again, don't know the source [I am useless today!]) that basically stated that a true citizen of the world is never truly at home anywhere. I tend to agree a bit with that one.

I am, obviously, more at home on Phuket than anywhere - but it is so international in so many ways - I think that is part of the appeal.

[Mchristophermsw]

Thanks Ted,

Great hearing from you and glad your home in Phuket

Lots have happend since we last spoke, I will PM you and catch up

May you and yours stay blessed!

[Will.]

Returning to the home country presents me with meeting people who can start a conversation from where they left off no matter how long i have been away.

Enter a pub same story different faces.

the main shock is that with every year abroad there is more TV, Media that has been and gone and done altered the speech pattern of various ideolects that there is very little i understand of the language of youff today. That is culture shock, coming "home " to realise you can't understand the locals.

[Guy Courchesne]

[tedkarma]

Guy,

Yeah, ordered societies. I like that, but also love the chaos of the developing world.

[spidey]

Among other things...what seemed to shock me the most upon returning to my hometown in eastern Canada, from Japan, was the fact that I recognized about a dozen people on the streets as I was being driven from the airport. It was only a twenty minute drive.

S

[Spinoza]

[Perpetual Traveller]

Spinoza, you must be English right?

I think one of the hardest things about going home are the changes within your inner circle, not so much society at large. I mean sure if you are coming from somewhere very rural to a big city or vice versa then there is going to be some shock associated with that but I find the thing that always hits me hardest is how much (or sometimes how little, people back home can seem so insular when you've been out in the world for a while) the people you know have changed.

Also hard to deal with is that fact that, although they profess to be interested in your travels, adventures etc you get your pics out and within a few minutes their eyes have glazed over (then again the same thing happens with wedding/baby/grandchildren/new home etc photos so I guess we shouldn't feel to slighted) and there's often a similar reaction everytime you embark on an anecdote.

For the present time at least I know that for me going home is always just for a visit and I don't even wait until I get there to be thinking about where to go next.

PT

[Sweetsee]

After years of returning to my hometown I watched our circle of friends become smaller and smaller. Sometimes I found that although some were still living there they never saw eachother. The last time I was there felt like I don't need to go there anymore.

[nomadder]

It took longer than expected to get used to my home country again. Ironically just when I can see the benefits again it looks like there is no place for me here and I'll have to leave. Then again maybe there never was.

[thelmadatter]

Ive been back for a couple of short visits. I find everything has something of a dream-like quality about it. Also its weird to speak my own language to everyone and not have to worry if Ill be understood. LOL

But then .... I always rent a car and DRIVE! I miss driving sometimes but somehow I dont think that will translate into buying a car here. Toluque�os are nuts!

[Sara Avalon]

Actually, after 2 years of living abroad I had thought I'd have reverse culture shock when I got home but it was the opposite. I was shocked at how much I missed home and how much I had put up with abroad! It was really depressing coming back to this country after the vacations were over.

[Gregor]

Why is it reverse culture shock? It's just culture shock, when you've been away for a long time.

Anyway, my story - last time I went back, visiting my brother in Sacramento, I lost my head for a moment. I had been waiting, with a lot of other people, for a VERY intermittant bus to arrive (once an hour, I think - I had been used to just showing up at a bus stop and having a bus materialize within minutes, as is what happens in Mexico). When it finally arrived, as is the case in the U.S, people didn't exactly queue, but they started getting on in an orderly fashion. I wasn't thinking and just started shoving my way onto the bus.
The driver and a couple other working man types made it VERY clear that I was THIS CLOSE to getting my ass kicked for it! And rightly so, too. I appologized, but decided not to try to explain. They wouldn't understand. So I just had to be the insensitive, selfish jerk for the duration of that bus trip.

[Justin Trullinger]

I wouldn't worry about it. I've been an insensitive selfish jerk for much longer periods.