Reverse Culture Shock: An Expat Goes Home for the Holidays (ii)

No more games of Chinese “Frogger” when crossing the street in the US

This is just a small example, but you can imagine what it’s like to be here over Christmas after a 5 year absence. I tried watching the NFL playoffs on TV without having a clue what happened in the regular season. I went to church for Christmas and did not recognize the priest, nor could I get used to the newly repaired church with a new floor and walls. Most popular radio stations are playing a bunch of songs I have never heard before, even though they are counting down the “Most Popular Songs of 2008” for the end of the year. I bumped into my friend’s father downtown and did not even recognize him until he mentioned his daughter. I ran into my friend at a party and did not even recognize him at first either!

And so it goes. Again, all of these are small examples, but added together they make for some pretty intense reverse culture shock, especially in addition to the feelings I have been having that I cannot even put into words. It seems like every year, I tell my family and friends that I will be coming home for good next year, but that never ends up happening partly because everything seems so foreign to me when I do go home. I guess I’m just homesick… for my home in China.

Posted at 05:12PM Jan 06, 2009 by admin in Laowai Talk  |  Comments[2]