Culture Shock

The culture shock of being back in the states has led to much introspection. In fact I wouldn't know where to start if some one asked me what is so strange. It could be that EVERYTHING in this country is so large, or the vast abundance of cheap food, even at restaurants, including the massive proportions.

I find myself amazed by simple things again, like being able to drink tap water, having a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer by default. Trash-less roads and waterways is always a plus, as this is one of the cleanest countries out there.

Carpets everywhere again! People genuinely saying hello when they see you. Service with a smile, as well as being helpful, to boot. Heat that permeates the entire house, not only one room. Having heat at all! (In Nepal you either sat in the sun or hid in your sleeping bag.)

It is, without a doubt, the people who provide the greatest challenge though. Everyone I meet who knew me before is confused by my accent. The most annoying thing is to be called British, which they assume because it is English, but foreign sounding. New people guess I am a foreigner.  I hate having to explain this. My accent, I suppose, is simply an amalgamation of so many things I picked up on the road. International is the best way to describe it.

On the topic of language, it is so hard to turn off my desire to correct the atrocious English the locals speak. With only one language, they tend to butcher the grammar and vocab. With those I am close to, I have to point it out. No doubt, they must find my desire to improve vocabulary to be pretentious, as seems to be the norm here, to simplify rather than expand.

Lastly, I so often wonder how people view my travels. When I mention a country, I can see their brains scrambling for associations and images. In the end, I know they may not understand why or how, and I feel pressured to stay with local topics. I hope to meet some others around who have traveled out of the country, even to Canada...

Overall, I have received warm welcomes and it feels good to be back. Now I guess I have to find a job!