REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK returning to the USA from Europe 😨

What happens when you come back to your home country after traveling long-term or living abroad? Feelings of REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK are very common and something I have experienced as well. Here are the warning signs and how to cope with them. (My advice after returning to the USA after living abroad for 15 years).

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Signs of Reverse Culture Shock
1:39 - What Is Reverse Culture Shock?
2:45 - First Days Returning Home to USA
4:22 - My Experience with Reverse Culture Shock
6:11 - Signs of Reverse Culture Shock
7:15 - Why Does it Happen?
8:34 - How You've Changed
9:17 - Missing Your Life Overseas
9:45 - How to Overcome It
10:11 - 1st Tip
11:50 - 2nd Tip
13:23 - 3rd Tip
14:45 - 4th Tip
15:35 - Expressing Yourself
15:56 - 5th Tip
16:39 - 6th Tip
17:10 - 7th Tip
18:32 - 8th Tip
18:57 - Escape The Matrix
19:45 - How Long Does It Last?
20:10 - Reverse Culture Shock in the USA

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👱🏻‍♀️ About: Kristin Wilson is the author of Digital Nomads For Dummies, the host of Badass Digital Nomads Podcast, and known as Traveling with Kristin on YouTube. She's traveled to more than 60 countries and has been helping people move overseas since 2005.

PS: This video is for entertainment purposes only and is not consulting or advice. Video descriptions may contain affiliate or refer-a-friend links for products I use and recommend. Thanks for supporting the channel!

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#cultureshock #reversecultureshock #livingabroad

[ThisAlexia]

This is an interesting phenomena and I’m glad you mentioned it. There used to be a time when I felt homesick after being on vacation away from the US. It felt so good coming back. However, as I got older I realized that my “homesickness” was really just for conveniences and material familiarities. After I made a more conscious effort to immerse myself in other cultures (while still living in the US) I’ve noticed that a lot of my real values/interests resonate more with Europeans. Now I am “homesick” for Europe! So in essence, it’s a state of mind.

[fboness]

Once you see firsthand that things at home aren’t as great you’ve been told i.e. propagandized into believing, it’s easy to feel isolated. These are great suggestions K.

[soccerdad]

I’ll never forget the first time I came home from a trip and realized life just went on without me. All my neighbors, local businesses and even my friends just went about their lives almost as if I was never there. It kind of shows how temporary we are. I do like to travel and feel like I return with new firsthand knowledge of how others live and what other natural beauty exists. I think this becomes a part of you which is why you don’t look at your previous life the same way. Thank you for another great video Kristin.

[lucchese]

Thanks Kristin for this video. 🙏🏻 I agree with everything you said. 👍🏻

I lived in Italy 🇮🇹 for 5 years when I was 15-20 years old—very formative years. So, yeah, definite reverse culture shock when I returned to the US—big time. My parents (who emigrated from Italy) were my biggest support as they understood what I was experiencing. Now that I’m retired, I can honestly say I never totally recovered and have learned to adopt—as you say. This propagates almost every day for me—when I go to an “Italian” restaurant (which I try to avoid), during US holidays, when I watch the Super Bowl half-time show, and (most frustrating) during my work…I feel my perspective is usually very different than my colleagues.

These feelings are stronger when I return to Italy to visit family and friends. We talk about stuff and the US-reverse culture shock just comes back. I say to myself “Wow—no one in the US really thinks that way or would do that. I need to come back.” So now that I’m retired and have US/EU citizenship, I’m working on returning back to Europe—maybe Portugal or Italy.

Thank you again.

[katiewright]

These are such great observations. I went through this reverse culture shock years ago, when I spent six months in Germany, and when I came back, I knew I was changed in so many ways; however, I was delighted by that realization, and did not have so many negative feelings. But I certainly understand why and how someone could have that negative reaction.
All that said, things are pretty bad in the US right now, so if you are having some negative reactions, don’t dismiss them automatically The citizens of the United States need to wake up and understand what is going on with globalism, and how it is negatively affecting our country. The problems have been building over decades, but we are reaching a critical point. There is a concerted effort to destroy our culture, our economy, and our way of life. One world government controlling everybody and everything is their goal. So don’t automatically dismiss what you see if you are having a negative reaction. It could be a very healthy reaction resulting from being awakened by your travels.

[smenor]

Part of it is that it's genuinely that bad in the US between healthcare and the lack of walkable cities and public transit and‥

[punditgi]

I had this experience after returning from France at 21. I am now 73 having never returned to France but I am still depressed with reverse culture shock. I watch France 24 in French but it's still not the same. C'est la vie, hein? 😢

[JLTravels]

You are so right, Kristin! Experienced this many times & embraced it as I grew exponentially!

[louisb]

I relate to the "cracks in the matrix" comment you made. When I came back to U.S. from Surrey U.K. back in Nov 2002 I definitely felt "out of water". Even when I moved down south, I still was not settled about being back. It wasn't until 2008 I "made peace" with where I was; shortly thereafter, we moved out of state. I am ok with it now👍🏻

[scottman]

Although I have not lived abroad or been away from the US for more than 2 weeks as of right now, I'll even experience a little bit of reverse culture shock. I notice it especially when I go to restaurants where at first I'll feel a little intimidated when the server will consistently come over to ask how everything is after not having that when abroad. I'll also point out the smallest of things in my mind for what the country I came from does better than my home country. These are all great tips!

[yasminbarry]

I have been around French expatriates in various countries, all my life. I am talking about people who are away from France, working for the French ministry of foreign affairs, usually at the French Embassy. When assigned overseas, they receive all kinds of perks, such as a "company" car with a driver, a "company" house (nicely furnished, in a nice neighborhood), AND, many times, they also have domestic servants in those countries. One day, I attended a luncheon with a group of such French ladies, and I discovered that, when their assignments are about to end, and they have to head back to France, many of them actually feel sad, restless; sometimes they panic; and some even suffer from depression! Everything that was done for them abroad is not anymore, and no more domestic help of course. No more elegant receptions with presidents and other embassy personnel, etc... They also tend to miss the sunshine, the beaches, the camaraderie among themselves when they are abroad (which disappears once they land back in France). Loneliness also becomes an issue. I understand (from one of them) that they actually have support groups for returning French foreign office civil servants.

[jankelsey]

Over 25 years ago I did a full semester study abroad in a suburb of Mexico. I've never been the same since, and honestly, a good part of me wondered why I ever returned here in the first place. Many years later, I ended up marrying someone who was an international student, and we frequently lament the dysfunctions & oddities of American so-called culture. I love my family here, but can truly see myself retiring someone in Europe. Excellent video Kristin.

[sean_vikoren]

Great video! Best travel content on the planet.

For me, the old way never did return. But as you said, being the change you want gives a deeper sense of meaning.
In the end, the world I saw outside the US, started an irreversible process that eventually made it impossible to live the way Americans live.
It might sound sad, but it really has been a steady improvement in the quality of life.

I also worry about people not being aware of their own social needs.
For whatever reason (possibly just 'man') I have spaceman powers.
Three months inside the machine, with no face to face, is just a guilty pleasure.
A year is pure glory. I should probably try to get a job running a lab on the south-pole.

But back to the point, I have seen a lot of lonely people on the road.
It's worth it to do deep thinking about how one is going to handle that side of life in a new place.

The one outcome you touched on, is that you may now be a revolutionary.
A citizen of the planet, instead of a vassal of the one that rules your birthplace.

[noahjuanjuneau]

Gotta say this definitely happened to me after spending time in Java, Bali, and Lombok… Had to return ‘home’ to New England in the middle of winter after living in the tropics… I knew exactly how to navigate a cold climate and how to live well in my native landscape but I was painfully ‘homesick’ for my tropical life back in Indonesia. To make matters worse I had no family in my ‘home country’ while in Java my sweetheart and her lovely, kind family were inviting me to come be a part of life there… So… I decided to get rid of all my possessions in US and return to SE Asia. And I proceeded to do just that. Left everything behind and moved from New England (ever been thru a New England winter??) to live in the Tropics where if you wear more than a T-shirt, shorts & sandals, you are overdressed. It’s more than the weather - the culture, the food, the customs, the environment - all so different and so alluring. This is great advice in this video. Thanks for sharing it!
Terima kasih banyak!

[jenniferlindorff]

This happened to me almost 20 years ago as well! After returning to the US from Italy, the first thing I noticed was that I could understand EVERYONE. It was kind of annoying actually, understanding all the conversations around me. And then the depression hit hard. Going from living in Florence to the backwoods of VT was a huge shift.

[marylennon]

This is such an important topic! Thank you so much for this video. I went through all those things when I came back to the US from Greece. Isolated, depressed.. thought the conversations I was having with my friends were boring. (And I love them, but the convos were all about shopping, consumerism etc.). I dealt with it by going back to Greece on a D visa 😂. But honestly, I’m still trying to figure out where I belong. I would love to hear more on this topic. Thanks again.

[debbieg]

Such a timely video for me, Kristin. I’ve been thinking about reverse culture shock a lot lately because after living in Morocco for the past 6 years, I’ll soon be returning to the U.S., probably for about 6 months. I’m very adaptable and fully aware of many of the shocks I will experience and how to deal with them, but I know there will still be many things that take me by surprise and many emotions that will sneak up on me at the most unexpected moments. Thanks for these tips and reminders.

[azdbuk]

Valuable info. Some of these points are so well

[StealthyshiroeanHumbleReviews]

This is really on point. Especially the part about it taking time to process just how much a person changes when being abroad. My wife and I lived in Japan for four years and moved back to the US about a year ago. It was something that we thought we wanted but we eventually realized that we were different and there are definitely things that we don't like about the US. After much discussing as to how our lives might be in the US versus Japan, we ended up deciding to move back to Japan. Great video!

[TheScottydog]

Definitely a real thing. I experienced this when I returned back to the UK after 3 months in China.