Reverse Culture Shock: Expectation vs. Reality

I've been home from Japan for more than a month, but I haven't had much time to process all that madness. I regret not writing more about the transition process, but it was such an intense, overwhelming time, and I couldn't bring myself to put it into words. I'm still not sure I can. However, I will attempt to verbalize the whole reverse culture shock experience so far, and how my expectations have met or clashed with the reality.

Driving

Expectation: Terror. I'd driven more in Japan than I ever had in the U.S. I expected to be constantly driving on the wrong side of the road, failing to yield, and getting tickets all over the place.

Reality: Not that bad. I've only had the urge to turn into the wrong lane a few times and quickly corrected myself, and I haven't had any close calls at all. Yay! I've driven a surprising amount, too. Instead of driving on the wrong side of the road, I often enter on the wrong side of the car. Haha I sit down and go, "Where's the steering wheel?!" It's ridiculous. I also turn the windshield wipers on when I mean to use the blinker. Of course.


Food

Expectation: WAHOO! CHEESE! I'd missed a lot about food here, and every chance I got I'd be on base stocking up on the luxuries like coffee creamer, cereal, and--of course--cheese!! I knew I'd miss Japanese food, but I thought it'd take at least a few months of pigging out to get to that point.

Reality: Ugh. My stomach is upset more often than not, and I think the drastic diet change has a lot to do with it. There's just so much more fried food and dairy in my diet than there used to be, and I really need to keep an eye on my waistline... I would kill for my old farmer's market and a good kaitenzushi place. My brother's an amazing cook, though, with a really amazing mustache. So that's a plus!

Weather

Expectation: Yay, no humidity!! I love me some dry heat, and after sweating constantly for four years, I couldn't wait for an Idaho summer.

Reality: I.am.freezing! All the time! I knew after adapting to Okinawa's weather that I'd be cold eventually, but I thought October at the earliest. Nope. I'm constantly cold. Even in August! Whenever I walk into a store with air conditioning, I start chattering away. Now that the weather has cooled down a little, I can't escape the shivering, even when it's sunny. And my wardrobe isn't exactly prepared for cooler temperatures, either. It's going to be a loooong winter.

Shopping

Expectation: ALL THE CLOTHES! Gimme! I've never been much of a shopper, but when every store you go to carries only clothes that don't fit, or at best you are the largest size they carry, you start to long for a new item or two. Toward the end of my time in Japan, I was compulsively buying clothes, even if I didn't love them, simply because they FIT.

Reality: Shopping takes money... of which I have none. One of the great tragedies of my life is that when I had disposable income, I couldn't shop, and now that I can shop, I have no money. Ok it's not that tragic, but it does suck a little. Especially when winter is coming. *dread*

Work

Expectation: Whatever it takes. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand being unemployed long, and I especially knew I wouldn't be able to afford it, so I completely prepared myself to take any jobs that came along. I was willing to scrub floors, wait tables, shovel horse manure, whatever it took to stay busy and pay the bills.

Reality: Subbing, ftw! So far subbing has kept me very busy, AND I love it! I get to work in my career field, gain experience in a variety of classroom settings, learn from the other teachers, and get to know the school in and out. So far, I've mainly been subbing in the elementary school, but am hoping for some high school days, too. :)  I've worked almost every day for a couple weeks, and if this keeps up, I might not need a second job! Although I am still looking for one just in case. Anyone need a nanny? House cleaner? Horse-poo-shoveler? ;)

People

Expectation: Easy communication with everyone! Hoorah! It's tough not being able to communicate fully with the people around you. It affects every aspect of your life, really, and I found it was often a hurdle to building relationships in Japan. I still made some great Japanese friends, mostly thanks to their amazing English skills, but it was always a bit of a struggle. I thought moving home would be such a relief on that front. 

Reality: Anyone out there? The hardest thing has been the change in my social life. This is certainly a small town, and there aren't many people my age with common interests. I miss having a pool of great friends to call on. For awhile there I felt extremely lonely, but it is getting better. A few old friends have sprung up and I'm gradually making new ones. Hopefully when I have extra cash I'll be able to spend more time in the "big city" and actually get out once in awhile. However, I do get to spend tons of quality with my family which I LOVE. :) It's so nice just to be able to walk up the road to Mom and Dad's house, help my cousins with their homework, give my nieces and nephews big hugs, give my grandparents a kiss goodnight. I am so lucky to be near them all again!

To sum up, returning home has been a bit of a mixed bag. I know it will continue to be a struggle and an adjustment, but I'm happy to be here, and I'm thrilled with the direction my life is going. I'm moving forward and growing, and that's really all I can ask for. Thanks for stopping by!

Planning Your International Trip

I am no stranger to traveling overseas, but previously all of the nitty gritty of the details have been the responsibility of someone else: the JET program, a choir director, a professor, a pastor. Until now. Most of you know that I went home for Christmas break, but what you may not know is that I did a terrible job of planning my flights and layovers. To save you some heartache on your next international trip, here's a cautionary tale of my experiences.

But first, a pretty picture. I love clouds from above. :) 

What Not To Do When Planning Your International Trip

Departing Flight: 


Decide to book your international and domestic flights separately to "save money" without considering all the factors. 

Book through Canada Air because it's cheaper at the time and then find out that a Japanese travel agent could have SAVED you money.... and a TON stress. 

Fly Okinawa to Haneda airport in Tokyo (domestic).

Take a $30 bus ride to Narita airport in Tokyo (international). Begin to feel anxious.

Have two hours to kill before you can even check in for your flight.  Feel restless. 

Attempt to check in and discover that your travel companion cannot go without you because she doesn't have a Canadian visa for the layover in Vancouver. Panic. 

Watch your travel companion spend an extra $3000 for a direct flight to Seattle. Cry. 

Fly to Vancouver alone. Sit next to an anti-social grump who begrudges your need to use the restroom twice during a nine hour flight. Sleep.

Arrive in Vancouver. Go through customs, Drink coffee. Email travel companion who beat you to America. Feel sad. Wait for two hours. 

Board puddle-jumper to Seattle for a 45 minute waste of time. 

Claim baggage. 

Re-check baggage. Check in for Horizon flight. Meet travel companion. At last. 

Wait two hours. Delay. Delay. Delay. 

Board another puddle jumper for a 1 hour trip to Boise. 

Meet family after midnight. Sigh. 

Return flight: 

Fly to Seattle. Don't look at ticket closely. Take 3 hour trip which should have lasted 1 hour. Stop in numerous tiny Idaho towns with one-lane airports. Sigh. 

Arrive in Seattle. 

One week later, return to Seatac. 

Say goodbye to travel companion again. Fly to Vancouver alone. Drink coffee. Wait three hours. 

Wait longer. Delay, delay, airplane change, delay. 

Board international flight. Sit next to man who, despite his small size, takes up half of your room with his pokey elbows. Shift uncomfortably. Sleep. 

Arrive in Tokyo at Narita (International). Customs. Claim bags. Greet travel companion at last. Sigh. Smile a little. 

Board subway. Change subways. Change again. Ignore arm pains from lugging suitcases all over Tokyo. Lose smile.  2 hours later, arrive at stranger's house. Sleep on floor. 

Wake up. Board subway. Squish in with two heavy suitcases. Try not to feel guilty. Transfer to train. Change trains. Arrive at Haneda (domestic) two and a half hours later. Wait 30 minutes. Get in wrong check-in line, wait thirty minutes. Move to correct check-in line, wait another 30 minutes. Go to security. Try to push slightly too large bag through x-ray, get yelled at, transfer some stuff to other bag. Finally pass security. 

Try to suppress eye twitch. Wait one hour. Sit in massage chair. Realize you're out of cash. Kick massage chair. 

Wait two hours. Type this blog and feel angry at yourself. Listen to calming music and wish you knew meditation techniques. 

Board flight to Okinawa. Close eyes and breathe. Arrive in Okinawa, 3 hours later. Drive 30 miles in over an hour. Lug giant bags up stairs. Crash. Collapse. Die. 

What To Do When Planning Your International Trip

Resolve to use the travel agent next time and book your luggage all the way through, regardless of the cost. Also resolve to pack lighter.  And buy more omiyage (souveniers). And get more sleep. 

To end on a positive note, here is a rough version of the video I made to show students about my trip: CLICK HERE!