When Everything Is The Same, But Nothing Is The Same
Traveling is always something wonderful : an opportunity to open our minds and discover other ways of living and understanding reality. As the great Miguel de Unamuno said: “Fascism is cured by reading and racism by traveling. ” There are people who travel for the pleasure of adventure, to discover new cultures, but there are also others who have no choice but to leave their home in search of a better job, or simply a job. The reasons for undertaking a trip are as varied as the people, and in many cases the advantages and learnings of traveling as well, but what happens when the traveler returns home?
When we have been away from our home, either because we have traveled for pleasure or because we have spent a season in another country working, the shock and the impact we receive upon arrival can be very strong and it is best that we are prepared for those feelings that experts have termed it as the reverse culture shock process.
When we return home we discover that the place we belonged to is no longer the same and nothing is as we remembered it. We then realize that this place, although it has remained unchanged and idealized in our memory, has continued to evolve without us. This confusion can cause confused feelings and make us believe that we are no longer from here or there because we have lost familiarity with the environment.
HOW TO OVERCOME THE REVERSE CULTURAL SHOCK PROCESS?
1. Acknowledge what is happening to you and accept that it is totally normal and transitory.
The reverse culture shock process is quite common, although each person experiences it differently. When we travel and separate from our environment, to which we feel that we belong because we know the cultural keys and behavior patterns, we also have to go through a process of adaptation to the new place, what happens is that we often live this process with joy , especially if the trip has been for pleasure and, on the contrary, it creates anxiety because we did not have it and it finds us defenseless.
2. Don’t let your prejudices turn into a jail.
Many times we are not comfortable in the place we have returned to because in the distance we have idealized it. It is very positive to rediscover that place, to know it again without prejudice or fantasy. Nothing is black or white, neither are the places, sure that if you look closely you can find things that you like, even if they are not exactly the same as you had imagined. Both your place of origin and your friends and family have changed, but, admit it, so have you. So you will have no choice but to meet again and meet again.
3. Avoid feeling trapped: you do not have to stay.
Sometimes the problem is that, although you thought that returning was the best decision, once you were home you discover that you had actually idealized your place of origin and that, nevertheless, your life was more satisfactory and fuller in the country that welcomed you. and even that you feel more identified with their customs and way of seeing life. Do not worry, it is very legal to choose where you want to live, and you are not always better in the place where you were born.
There are also people who have a continuous need to travel and know other places, it is said that they suffer from the syndrome of the eternal traveler. In itself it does not have to be negative, there are people with a nomadic soul, but it must be taken into account that a trip should never become a flight from oneself, but rather a search.
4. Do not hesitate to seek help if you find that you do not know how to handle these feelings.
Help can come from a family member, friend, or professional. It may happen that we feel guilty in front of our loved ones for not being able to express all the joy that we are supposed to feel in the reunion. Trust those close to you with your feelings, surely there is someone in your environment who has gone through the same thing and can understand you.
5. Do not be afraid of re-adaptation processes, although they involve a certain culture shock, they are natural and positive.
Life is a continuous transformation. Everything changes: our body, our environment, our loved ones. It is true that the search for stability is a characteristic that often defines us human beings, not all of us. But keep in mind that it is always a fictitious sensation, because everything, absolutely everything, can change at any time, for better or for worse, and we have to be prepared for what comes, surf the wave and try to live the different experiences that proposes life to us as part of the journey.
Photo courtesy of Chamille White
