First Barney Plush (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Reverse Culture Shock occurs when you return to your home country after living abroad. If you’ve been away for a sustained period, things will have changed (including yourself). You have adapted (sometimes kicking and screaming) to another culture.
Depending on how long you’ve been away, you may find that many things have changed. You don’t expect that things have changed so much. You definitely don’t appreciate the depth of your change either. The first time I experienced Reverse Culture Shock was when I returned to the US after a year as an exchange student in high school. I came back and there was a lot I didn’t know.
Barney had hit and I just couldn’t understand the fuss about a purple dinosaur. RuPaul is another example. I didn’t know he wasn’t in drag. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he wasn’t a woman. In the pre-internet early 90’s, I didn’t know any of the songs on the radio and didn’t have the slightest clue who he was. I felt like a foreigner in my own country.
The longer you’ve been away and the more you embraced the habits and customs of a new culture, the more likely you won’t feel at ease, relaxed or comfortable in your country of origin. It’s only natural the tour experiences changed you and re-entry can be difficult. Sometimes, people find it impossible to readapt to their home country after living abroad for a number of years. Others have seen RuPaul’s Drag Race and now understand.
A Little Bit of Love (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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