And how travel has changed my perception of America
Alright, let me clarify—I don’t harbor any animosity towards Americans or America, really. There was a time when I held some strong reservations about American culture, but let’s be honest, who’d want to read a blog post with that kind of title?
One of the side effects of extensive travel is that occasionally, you find yourself disliking certain aspects of your own culture. It’s what experts call ‘reverse culture shock.’ You might also know it as that feeling of displacement or unease that creeps in when you return home after spending a significant amount of time abroad. (You can read more about reverse culture shock here.)
It’s different from regular culture shock because the discomfort typically stems from your own culture, not another one.
Navigating Reverse Culture Shock: My First Encounter
At the age of 23, I encountered my first taste of reverse culture shock, fresh off a 6-month period in Chile.
Following a grueling 12+ hour flight from Santiago, I stood expectantly at the final baggage carousel of my journey. The voices that filled the baggage reclaim area were a far cry from the warm, sultry Spanish ones I had grown used to. Here, slow, drawling southern accents pierced my ears, prompting me to wedge my earbuds in deeper to drown out the dissonance.
Unfortunately, heightened senses sharpened my perception, accentuating the stark differences around me.
I felt like a complete outsider, surrounded by people with whom I could only seem to find differences. I found myself disenchanted with being back in the US. The food, the radio… even the new slang words that had developed in my absence—all of it grated on my nerves.
It was as if I had become a host to some parasitic form of suffering that infected not only me but also my home, work, school, and my social life. The prospect of a peaceful transition back to American reality seemed increasingly distant, and the torment lingered for weeks. It took a little time, but I was able to once again find myself integrated into American society.
While I didn’t entirely forget the initial disturbances upon reentry to my American life, I no longer regarded them as insurmountable obstacles.
The Aftershock of Reverse Culture Shock
As miserable and depressing as reverse culture shock can be, it surprisingly offers some silver linings. I vividly recall my return from Chile. American accents grated on my nerves, the sight and sound of an oversized truck drove me insane, and the local Midwestern cuisine seemed unbearable.
You might wonder, “Where’s the benefit in all this negativity?” The answer lies in appreciation.
Through my travels, I discovered that many people worldwide are willing to pay a premium to learn American English. In fact, my American accent landed me jobs that essentially funded my life abroad. So, in hindsight, what’s there to complain about? And every time I find myself back in the states, I discover something new of value to me.
The Residual Effects of Travel
While travel can expose you to other ways of life, making you more critical of your own at home, it can also teach you to be more appreciative of it. That’s the magic of travel. It’s not about hating aspects of someone else’s culture because they’re different or resenting your own because you think it could be better. Instead, travel offers you the opportunity to see things differently, to open your eyes to what else is possible, to inspire and motivate you. It connects you to other worlds and the people within those worlds. And if you let it, it can even bring you a little closer to your own.
So take these experiences, remember what you’ve learned, and remember that you’re responsible for what comes next. I’m only here to help show you a positive way to grow from it.
