I'm back in the US after almost 500 days of bouncing around the world. Quite the adventure traveling, living and working out there in the world. But it's time to get back to the roots and enjoy the homeland once again. I've got a two month trip sorted out in the US going from the West Coast to the Midwest to the Northeast to the South. Seeing friends and family all over. After that, we'll see about settling down.
People always talk about how crazy it can be in the world and how different it is, as they experience culture shock in another country. Let me tell you, it's just as tricky coming back to your home country as leaving it. You notice all the little things, and feel more like a foreigner at the start. Here are a few things that've jumped out at me so far:
Tipping. That's right I forgot about tipping until my friend put cash on the table. The rest of the world doesn't really tip unless the service was outright amazing. I'm out of practice and didn't even think about it. Dollar bills flying out of my pocket now!
Driving on the right. Coming from Australia and New Zealand, where I've been the last 6+ months, I got quite used to being on the left side of the road. I drove a couple times, and rode a bike almost every day. It started to feel quite normal. Now I have to switch the brain back over and remember to look left first. Still a challenge, but I'm getting better and haven't been hit yet!
Different words. Such as "connecting passengers" instead of "transferring passengers" at the airport. Numerous people were confused on the flight from NZ with where to go to get to their next flight. Just one different word throws it all off. Most of the world uses transfer/transit for passengers who are just passing through an airport. I spent 19 hours over two visits to the Istanbul airport as a transit passenger (happy memories sleeping on the floor).
Taxes. Most of the world has the taxes already included in the price. Here you pay extra. Those $1.25 tacos aren't quite the even number they appear to be. But at least they are authentic Mexican and still cheap.
1 comment:
Totally know what you mean about reverse culture shock. After almost six years abroad, whenever I visit the U.S. it happens. The food is so cheap! Everything is so colorful! The people are so fat! You get pickles with your sandwich!
It's the small (and the large) things that add up.
Post a Comment