Culture Shock in Reverse
There is a lot said about culture shock when you move to another country. After the initial excitement and interest the new culture affords, the culture shock can hit you on a very deep and daily level. This shock is part of what makes moving overseas feel daunting and takes effort to address and cope with as you manage expectations from those around you and from yourself.
However, it’s not only moving to a place that can be disorienting. Moving back home can also cause a strange déjà vu-like re-entry experience. In an online forum, those who lived in other countries and then moved back to the United States gathered to share their re-entry experiences, or “reverse culture shock,” as it’s come to be known.
Some of what they shared was unusual, interesting, and unexpected. One shared that while living in Singapore, they could expect most everyone to know English, but back home in California they could not, and that Mexican food seemed like the most American food around. (When asked about food they miss from back home, a lot of Americans will say they miss Mexican food, which can be hard to find in some other countries.)
Others comment on how uncommon it is to see people smoking cigarettes in the states, “One of the few health related things Americans seem to be doing alright at,” one commenter jested about. Of course, that’s offset by another who pointed out “how obvious it is that we have a serious obesity problem in the U.S.”
Some other observations were quite irritating to commenters upon their return. One noted how “groceries were super cheap and fresh” overseas, and while the grocery stores in the States have seemingly unlimited options, that can feel quite overwhelming. Some noted the customer service is so much worse in the States and that music in restaurants is way too loud. Others can’t believe the “massive amount of advertising and upsells” that seem to bleat at you constantly in daily life. Video and audio ads at gas station pumps are a glaring example of this that they pointed out.
Some of their observations were things that might have been a shock when first moving overseas, but then you just get used to the new way of living in the other country, and when you move back, you’re surprised that things in “your own country” seem odd to you. The relative lack of public transportation and the car culture of the States was mentioned by many. And while it is odd when you move overseas to think of the “second floor is actually floor 1”, coming back to the States requires a similar adjustment. Most found that “the vast amount of space in the USA is shocking” after time in other more densely populated spaces in smaller areas.
These are just some examples of reverse culture shock, but these are the kinds of things someone shares in a more surface and public way. What about deeper culture shock? Reverse culture shock can be a stressful experience, and one that we don’t prepare adequately for. Craig Storti, in The Art of Coming Home, identifies several factors that shape reentry stress:
- Cultural Differences: Larger contrasts between host and home cultures create challenges.
- Time Overseas: Longer stays mean deeper adaptation, making it harder to leave.
- Interaction with Host Culture: Greater engagement can make transitions more difficult.
- Home Culture Interaction: Staying connected to home while abroad eases adjustment.
- Age: Older individuals may navigate reentry more easily due to experience.
- Voluntary vs. Involuntary: Involuntary returns are more stressful.
- Expected vs. Unexpected: Sudden returns are harder to handle.
Storti’s framework highlights why reentry experiences vary and the need for intentional preparation. The irony in Storti’s list is that some of what a Global Marketplace Multiplier (GMM) or anyone living on mission overseas might value would make it harder to return home. We want to have deep engagement with the host culture, we want to go to places with large contrast to our culture, which would be true of most countries with a large percentage of unreached people groups. And we want to do this no matter our age or experience.
No GMM should want to move into a country and stay cloistered off in an ex-pat ghetto, never engaging in the culture or making friends in the host country. We want to dive deep and be real friends, learning the culture and even language if we have enough time, and most of all loving the people. A GMM that is doing it the right way will deeply miss the people and the place they are moving back home from. If it’s hard, then it’s a sight you’re doing it right, not a sign that something is wrong.
So, the key is intentionality. At every step, it is important to remember that God taught you things while living overseas, and he used you according to his purposes. And he’s not done with you. Like Philippians 1:6 says, “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” You’ve been changed by this experience abroad, and now you can live as a global-focused Christian wherever you are.