The Culture Shock is Worse Coming Back
One of my friends who stayed in Changzhou a year longer than I did finally came home this week. Naturally, it got me reminiscing about my own return from China. I think I mentioned this before, but the “culture shock” people talk about when going to China (or anywhere, really) isn’t as bad as the culture shock you get coming back.
For me, at least, I welcomed the differences China offered and took them as an adventure. On my return home, there was no more adventure. Nothing new to get excited about. It felt like being dumped back into the rat race, except now I was 18 months behind everyone else. That is pretty shocking.
It doesn’t help that, while you’re away, you kind of forget what your home is like. Two versions of your home country end up being created. There’s the one that you remember… and the one it really is. Of course, the one that you remember is better, so it’s a shock (a culture shock!) to come home and find out you were off. And now you’ve got to learn how to live here again.
Comment: