Reverse Culture Shock… Round Three.
The first time I experienced culture shock was when I arrived from Bali in 2017. I got very depressed and did a lot of sleeping and crying. I didn’t have a name to give all I was feeling at the time. The times after this have been slightly easier, but each with its unique challenges.
The thing is when you travel abroad it’s exciting, it’s part of the adventure, the experience of moving abroad or long term travel but it’s different in the return home. It doesn’t always feel like it’s part of the adventure. It’s heavy. It takes longer to shake. The place that is your home is as you left it. You see bits and pieces of the places you visited and lived in reflected in each encounter and experience you have at home, and they remind you that it is you who has changed.
It’s been two weeks since arriving, and yes, I can feel the reverse culture hitting. At times it is heavy and overwhelming; other times, I don’t even think about her.
Here are some new and not-so-new reverse culture shock moments for me (I believe they are different for everyone).
- The number of people with no mask walking around, in cafes or restaurants.
- Newness of everything. The cafes, the faces in my building, family.
- The 1,000 unnecessary options available: Last time, it was the chip aisle at Walmart, now pop tart ice cream and mint flavor Reese PB cups. Why do we need pop tart ice cream? (anyone?)
- The anxiety of needing to get things done and not wanting to do any of it.
- Being stripped of the routine I had built and desperately building a new one.
With time and experience, you start knowing what works and helps.
So what helps, well, a few things, and maybe if you are in it right now, here are some things that might help.
- Make plans before returning home.
- Connect with friends who are on similar paths. Moving abroad or having lived abroad and returned to their home country. There is magic in shared experiences.
- Catch up on all the movies/shows you missed. Personal fav: Pose. I binged watched it when I was sick.
- Treat it as an adventure. Make what I like to call an Experience List ( you can also do this when you move abroad to remind you to enjoy the process and look forward to the experience that is moving abroad.)
- Plan trips to visit friends, solo or with family. It helps keep your adventurous soul on its toes.
- Take time to reflect. I’m an avid journaler I like to write, a lot (as you can see, lol). It helps me work through what I am feeling. Take stock of my emotions.
- Give yourself grace. Sometimes you need a good cry and sleep. That’s okay.
However, you deal with culture shock; know I am there with you right now. Feel free to let me know what helps you. The more tips, the better.
Read more on my experience of reverse culture shock here—the prequel to this post, if you will.
