We’ve been back in the States for a little less than 3 months. When the first of September came, we felt a little odd not going to China, and had some “what’s next?” feelings. We’ve been doing A LOT of traveling! Things are starting to slow down and I am finally able to clear my head enough to blog! I was thinking about some things that are different now, and if you don’t want to read them, that’s fine… it’s mainly me processing change, which is better than rejecting my American culture, or being frustrated with things. ☺ So here are a couple of ideas that have been bouncing around in my head about reverse culture shock.
Every. Single. Day in China, I would get up and check the weather. (periods added for emphasis.) Now you may say, “Well, that’s no different from life in America.” Ok, I still check the weather everyday in America, but it’s not for the same reason. I am just curious to know what the day will feel like. In China, it was a MUST to check the weather. Your well-being depends on it! I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but if you were caught in the rain or it got cold or hot during the day and you weren’t prepared, you couldn’t just run to the car and grab that jacket you have for times like this, or just go back home. You were either prepared for the weather or you werne't. The other day I said to Stan, "Hey, it's not supposed to rain for 10 days!" We both were so surprised because we are used to having a couple days of rain here and there, or a week of rain here and there. The rain doesn’t bother me so much here because I can just hop in the car and hardly get wet at all!
When the internet used to quit working, we would become irritated beyond belief at first in China. Then we got used to it, and while it was still irritating, we knew the most we could do was tell someone and they may or may not come to fix it when we wanted them to, or when they said they would. Now that we are in America, and if I am in a place where the internet isn’t working, I automatically think, “It’s just because it’s China.” But I’m not in China! It’s funny to have realizations like that, even after being here for almost 3 months.
Speaking of the internet, before getting on the internet, I always go up to my toolbar on my computer and start to click on the VPN. The VPN is what we had in China so we could access websites like, blogger, facebook, twitter, and google. I still find myself moving my mouse toward my toolbar to turn it on, but I don’t have to. We are definitely creatures of habit! Ha!
Since we rode buses a lot, I would make sure I had a movie or TV show, or some good music on my phone so I could listen/watch while on the bus. I just recently downloaded a lot of the new songs that are on the radio, thinking I would be able to listen to them on the bus—but there is no bus to ride. I use to hate the bus rides downtown because they were so long, but I learned to appreciate them and now they are not available to me. Life is different, and learning to adapt is important.
I would say the thing that is the most shocking to me is things that are perceived to me to be different about America. For example, when we were in China and I was being bumped into without an apology, or being cut in front of in line, I would always think, “Americans are more courteous than that!” Then when I got back to America, some of that courtesy seemed to fade in my eyes. I know that Americans did not become more rude over the past 2 years suddenly. It is because I placed my first culture up on such a high pedestal, that when it’s flaws were shown to me I let myself down. My first thought when someone does something rude is, “Are you Chinese? Because that’s rude!?” That’s my first thought… not what I say. ☺ Then I think, “America isn’t what should be placed on such a high pedestal. It’s Christ who should be...being in the Family and having a common bond. That’s what sets us apart from the different cultures of the world. No malice, no scheming, only love. That’s where it’s at. I need to remind myself I am a Christian first, then an American.
Those are just a couple things my mind has wandered toward while being in the states the past couple of months. Logging my thoughts is going to be important for me in the present and in the future. Thanks for being a part of it! Thanks for reading! I love you all!!
