I've been back in the States for a good 4 months now. I'm quite enjoying it, and like to think that I'm adjusting pretty well. However, every once in awhile, something pops up and I get reverse culture shocked. Big time.
Examples:
-Using medicine or foods I really like sparingly, like I won't be able to replace it.
-Repeating what I'm going to say in my head before I order food or talk to a customer service person.
-Planning days in advance to do laundry, completely forgetting you can wash and dry clothes in a couple hours if need be.
-Driving freaks me out.
-Not wanting to go out til after 12, then forgetting the bars close at 2.
-Not being able to buy alcohol after a certain time (8 pm on weekdays, St. Paul? Really?).
-Taking my keys with me whenever I leave the apartment, even just going downstairs to check the mail (my door in Spain would lock automatically behind me).
-Hearing songs on the radio and thinking, "Hey, that would make an awesome lesson for learning past tense/questions/vocabulary!"
-Getting good customer service. I get a little weirded out when waiters or at stores are overly friendly. Or just friendly in general.
These little peculiarities are great because they remind me of my time in Spain. It's nice to have some reminders every once and awhile. Also, make sure you visit my new blog, A Midwestern Life to see what I'm up to in Minnesota.
Aw, that's cute (and possibly annoying...?) how you're still thinking of ESL materials even back home.
ReplyDeleteI literally LOL'd at your point about wash-day planning. Earlier this week the word "clothes dryer" came up so I aprovechar-ed the situation to ask my bachillerato students how many of them had one of these handy-dandy machines. Only 2 in a class of 28 students had dryers; I admit to being more than a little envious when I saw their hands go up.
Yeah, it's a strange thing, reverse culture shock. I think one or two of my private lesson students had one, and I was immensely envious of them. I have to pay for my washer/dryer in my apartment building, but it's definitely worth it!
DeleteYou must be enjoying yourself so much right now, while still missing parts of your Spanish experience. I love reading about them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, it's really bittersweet. And I tend to miss Spain more when I'm having a bad day here!
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