Anyone who’s lived abroad for a long time will likely go through a reverse culture shock when they return to their home country. The experience may be akin to relearning how to ride a bike and getting used to the old ways you’ve moved away from for quite a while.
For these American expats landing back in the United States, it was a mix of positives and negatives. Some were taken aback by the music blasting in restaurants, while others felt a sense of relief upon remembering that tap water was safe to drink.
A few of these responses may hit home if you’re a US citizen returning to the motherland after some time away. Feel free to share any similar stories in the comments below!
#41
I grew up in the US but have spent my whole adult life in the UK and Austria. There are so many unique or nearly unique things about the US.
Everything in the US is huge. I'm in the US this week and just visited a friend in Chicago -- she was apologising for a cramped flat, but it was palatial by middle-class western Euro standards. Only thing we've got on Americans in that department is super high ceilings. It applies to food too, of course. I just saw a pack of Reese's cups at Target that was more than a meter high. Diabolical.
Lots of stuff is super sweet when it shouldn't be. Coffee, bread (!), sauces. It's kind of icky once you start noticing it.
Especially in Austria shops and offices have very limited hours by comparison. I forget this sometimes and find myself planning around not being able to get anything on Sundays or after about 19.00.
Tip culture as it is in the States wouldn't be tolerated in Austria (the UK is *slightly* closer to the American model but not much). They're quite forward in asking for it (it should of course be given, but it ought to be presented like a choice, IMO).
"No guns" signs on business doors. That's a stark reminder when you've been away.
This probably runs counter to the common narrative, but I find lots of Americans are quite rude, in that they're not really aware of other people around them. Flying in this week I was shocked by the fact that people just splay their stuff out on an escalator and block the path. You're supposed to stand on the right side and leave the left lane open for people in a hurry. There's also stuff like playing music out loud on buses and trains (this happens everywhere but seems more common in the US).
The amount of space given over to cars. There are so many parking garages, it's a ridiculous waste of space and they're invariably ugly as sin. We have them in Europe but not as many and at least in the big cities they're generally subterranean.
Everything in the US is huge. I'm in the US this week and just visited a friend in Chicago -- she was apologising for a cramped flat, but it was palatial by middle-class western Euro standards. Only thing we've got on Americans in that department is super high ceilings. It applies to food too, of course. I just saw a pack of Reese's cups at Target that was more than a meter high. Diabolical.
Lots of stuff is super sweet when it shouldn't be. Coffee, bread (!), sauces. It's kind of icky once you start noticing it.
Especially in Austria shops and offices have very limited hours by comparison. I forget this sometimes and find myself planning around not being able to get anything on Sundays or after about 19.00.
Tip culture as it is in the States wouldn't be tolerated in Austria (the UK is *slightly* closer to the American model but not much). They're quite forward in asking for it (it should of course be given, but it ought to be presented like a choice, IMO).
"No guns" signs on business doors. That's a stark reminder when you've been away.
This probably runs counter to the common narrative, but I find lots of Americans are quite rude, in that they're not really aware of other people around them. Flying in this week I was shocked by the fact that people just splay their stuff out on an escalator and block the path. You're supposed to stand on the right side and leave the left lane open for people in a hurry. There's also stuff like playing music out loud on buses and trains (this happens everywhere but seems more common in the US).
The amount of space given over to cars. There are so many parking garages, it's a ridiculous waste of space and they're invariably ugly as sin. We have them in Europe but not as many and at least in the big cities they're generally subterranean.
22points
#42
America feels like a bubble on another planet, American culture just feels so separated from every other group of people on the planet and the American zeitgeist is very isolationist.
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22points
#43
It took me a second to remember that 1st floor is ground/lobby floor here every time I got in an elevator for a few weeks.
21points
#44
Visiting a grocery shop and feeling overpowered by the sheer number of possibilities available for each and every item. How many varieties of ketchup do we actually need, really?
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20points
#45
Two things were hard to get reacquainted with. One was that I had to start driving every day again. The other was that Americans really are a special level of fat. "Normal" fat Americans looked like spectacles to me for a few weeks even though I had lived here for most of my life.
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20points
#46
Moved from Singapore then back to the US.
Three biggest shocks
1) Unlike Singapore, I can't expect everyone to know English in California
2) An American striking a random conversation is normal
3) Mexican food is the most American food around.
Three biggest shocks
1) Unlike Singapore, I can't expect everyone to know English in California
2) An American striking a random conversation is normal
3) Mexican food is the most American food around.
19points
#47
Coming back from Italy, the biggest shock was definitely the portion sizes and just how much more friendly people are in casual interactions. Also, driving everywhere felt so strange after being used to walking or taking public transport. It took a while to adjust back!
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17points
#49
Tipping culture; I spent several months in Latin America once and in many countries, the tip is not only included in the bill, but tips are shared among servers. That meant that if I needed to order something or pay my bill, I didn’t need to wait for “my” server; any server in the restaurant could help me.
(Tax is also included in prices too, so what you see is what you pay.).
(Tax is also included in prices too, so what you see is what you pay.).
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16points
#50
Flying from Shanghai back to Dallas was the biggest culture shock for me. Shanghai makes Dallas looks like a ghost town. And the maglev train that runs over the city gives you a sense of scale like no other (imagine being in a jet flying over a city that just seems to never end).
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15points