Reverse Culture Shock

People sometimes ask me if I've experienced any reverse culture shock since I've returned home. There are three instances I can think of. The first night I arrived in Canada and went out to dinner, I had the feeling that I knew everyone around me. While I was living in Taiwan, if I saw a white person there was a good chance that I knew them. In Canada, almost everyone around me was white, and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I somehow knew them all. Then, when I was in Las Vegas, I went into a Walgreens just to pick up a few things, and I think I ended up looking for an hour, overwhelmed by all of the food products. Who knew there were so many choices when buying M&Ms?

The other one happened right after touchdown on North American soil. We were in the Vancouver airport, and decided we should celebrate being in Canada with donuts from Tim Horton's. I got in line, and had a moment of panic. What if I didn't know how to order when I got to the register. What if I took too long to find the correct change. I had grown accustom to making a fool of myself nearly every time I ordered something in Taiwan. Either my Chinese would be wrong, or the cashier wouldn't understand my hand gestures. I was just used to it. But now I was in a place where everyone spoke English, and I was expected to order competently. I was greatly relieved when the cashier spoke to me in accented English. It was an easy transition into Englishland.

I often have to be reminded that I am in Englishland and that people around me understand what I am saying. No more saying out loud, "Wow, look at that guys mole hair" or "Gross, did you just hear that old woman spit?" or "civilized people know how to wait in line, why can't they just wait in line".

I'm glad I had the 2 week buffer period in Vancouver and Las Vegas before going to Chattanooga. I'm not sure I could have handled it as well if my first stop were in Chattanooga. I needed to readjust to the continent before learning how to be a member of my family again.