Back with a bout of reverse culture shock
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Last month, for the first time in almost two years, I went back home to the United Kingdom.
Outwardly, much has changed there in that time — not least because of the vote to leave the European Union and the subsequent snap election that it spawned.
The specter of Brexit, which now looms so large in British pop culture and common parlance, barely even registered as a turn of phrase before I left.
And China — so long considered a cryptic curiosity, especially in the fartherflung areas of the UK — has become a popular topic of conversation.
Or at least it was when we were around.
Everywhere we went, it seemed, my wife and I were asked about our lives here. Often, we found it difficult to encapsulate our experiences without resorting to cliche. Describing China to someone who has never been here can be challenging, particularly if that person brings their own preconceptions to bear on the conversation.
There’s no accounting for ignorance though. And difficult as some of those conversations were, I think we both struggled more with what’s known as “reverse culture shock”.
The US State Department has a whole page on its website dedicated to the subject, as do numerous other sites aimed at those living or studying abroad. But I must admit, it wasn’t really something I’d given a second thought to before returning.
I had watched a parody video by Shanghai comedy outfit Mamahuhu on the topic back in October, but this was, naturally, a bit over the top. In one scene, for instance, a character who’s returned to the United States from China can’t decide which trash can to throw his empty plastic bottle in, so opts instead to hurl it into the sea — hardly the sort of behavior that’s condoned here or abroad, and certainly not something I would consider doing myself anywhere in the world.
That being said, the 5-minute-long video did chime with my own experience of returning home in some regards.
I’ve become used to having private conversations in public places, for example, safe in the knowledge that the vast majority of people who overhear me will be unlikely to understand.
That’s not the case back in Britain, of course — though what threw me more about being home was the slightly overwhelming sensation of being able to once again understand everything around me.
In China, so much of what I come into contact with on a daily basis in the form of signs, announcements and the like goes completely over my head. Which makes it rather easy to tune them out.
Back home, however, I suffered something of a sensory overload and found myself having to make a real conscious effort to drown out the background hubbub.
Stranger still was rediscovering the ability to walk into a shop or restaurant and order whatever I wanted with ease, without having to rack my brains for the correct vocabulary or resorting to the translation apps on my phone.
All of which probably just means that I should pull my finger out, buckle down and focus more on my language learning.
Which I fully intend to do, honest. Just as soon as I’ve recovered from the jet lag.