reverse travel shock

[fa1secathedral]

http://firefly.yourjapan.jp/post/2/358

so, i was reading that article. it's about an aussie who lived in japan for a year and upon return to AU unexpectedly had a reverse culture shock experience. one of the comments to this article was:

"It gets worse.

And lasts longer. Mostly

Comments

not entirely true

[caimlas]

That statement is certainly true in degree of proportion, but it's not entirely true. Things never stand still. People will change, having different experiences: culture does not stand still and is always changing. Think: Germany under the Nazis, India under the British (and Britain during their imperial/colonial era), etc. The culture in the Southwest US isn't authentically American or Mexican, but a hybrid due to the large back-and-forth infusion of Mexicans (and Americans) to the area over the past 150 years.

What you're experiencing is a microcosm of that same affect. Your native culture and the culture of where you grew up and your new environment are diverging creating a new culture. Your native culture is more shocking upon return because you're expecting it to be the same from your perspective. I imagine you could experience the same basic shock within the US, as well - say, if you were to visit a commune for a while. Or maybe simply by being one of those observant fuckers