Reverse culture shock
I have always wanted to write an insightful article about this 'reverse culture shock' phenomenon people experience when going back home.
Today's the day!
Clears voice:
Reverse culture shock is defined as an unexpected difficulty in readjusting to the daily life in your home country, now that the previously familiar has become unfamiliar. Of course, at first, you may be excited to return home, seeing friends and family, wearing the rest of your wardrobe, and eating at your favourite restaurants. However, some say this initial excitement eventually fades, and that's when reverse culture shock kicks in.
Now that we got the boring stuff out of the way, let me tell you about my experience after waking up for a week in my old bed in Italy.
While packing I was fearing two main things. One, not to be able to speak Italian as fluently as I used to. Two, that my friends would not care about me anymore.
Instead, I found that my Italian is still pretty much the same as it was, with some extra English flavour when necessary. And my friends are indeed busy people with jobs, houses to clean, and families to take care of, but they welcomed me on very short notice when I told them I was free for a coffee.
You see, I am trying to see everyone in private to discuss life journeys and emotional realisations before putting everyone in the same room and expect that to be quality time.
I did, however, feel some kind of shock in realising there is only one new building in town. Everything else looks exactly the same as the day I left. I am aware this is a small mountain town and things tend not to change too fast around here, but instead of feeling a sense of relief and familiarity, I instantly felt all the emotions and the reasons that pushed me to flee.
Is there such a thing as 'too much the same'?
I would call this: Reverse-reverse culture shock. I was expecting some major changes, unrecognisable scenery and strange people all around me. Instead, everything is unchanged and everyone looks like someone I went to high-school with. Which is probably the case.
For a rather unpleasant feeling, there's a positive one to balance my emotional wellness out!
I remember very well how disgusted and outraged I felt when I found out the 'student discount' for movie tickets in Melbourne was something around $17.
If you don't mind, I will drink one Spritz with that money, thank you.
After years in a Country where everything is inexplicably expensive, I accepted the invitation for an Italian happy hour in my hometown and thought I needed at least 50 euro in my wallet, and hoped the evening would not turn into dinner and more drinks because of my current lack of an Italian bank account.
Turns out, a jug of spritz is 3.50 euro here.
3.50!
A whole jug! With finger food!
I cried a bit.
This is a prime example of positive reverse culture shock and now I am afraid of getting used to it!
Image: via
Today's the day!
Clears voice:
Reverse culture shock is defined as an unexpected difficulty in readjusting to the daily life in your home country, now that the previously familiar has become unfamiliar. Of course, at first, you may be excited to return home, seeing friends and family, wearing the rest of your wardrobe, and eating at your favourite restaurants. However, some say this initial excitement eventually fades, and that's when reverse culture shock kicks in.
Now that we got the boring stuff out of the way, let me tell you about my experience after waking up for a week in my old bed in Italy.
While packing I was fearing two main things. One, not to be able to speak Italian as fluently as I used to. Two, that my friends would not care about me anymore.
Instead, I found that my Italian is still pretty much the same as it was, with some extra English flavour when necessary. And my friends are indeed busy people with jobs, houses to clean, and families to take care of, but they welcomed me on very short notice when I told them I was free for a coffee.
You see, I am trying to see everyone in private to discuss life journeys and emotional realisations before putting everyone in the same room and expect that to be quality time.
I did, however, feel some kind of shock in realising there is only one new building in town. Everything else looks exactly the same as the day I left. I am aware this is a small mountain town and things tend not to change too fast around here, but instead of feeling a sense of relief and familiarity, I instantly felt all the emotions and the reasons that pushed me to flee.
Is there such a thing as 'too much the same'?
I would call this: Reverse-reverse culture shock. I was expecting some major changes, unrecognisable scenery and strange people all around me. Instead, everything is unchanged and everyone looks like someone I went to high-school with. Which is probably the case.
For a rather unpleasant feeling, there's a positive one to balance my emotional wellness out!
I remember very well how disgusted and outraged I felt when I found out the 'student discount' for movie tickets in Melbourne was something around $17.
If you don't mind, I will drink one Spritz with that money, thank you.
After years in a Country where everything is inexplicably expensive, I accepted the invitation for an Italian happy hour in my hometown and thought I needed at least 50 euro in my wallet, and hoped the evening would not turn into dinner and more drinks because of my current lack of an Italian bank account.
Turns out, a jug of spritz is 3.50 euro here.
3.50!
A whole jug! With finger food!
I cried a bit.
This is a prime example of positive reverse culture shock and now I am afraid of getting used to it!
Image: via
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