Let's just start this off in the middle of a very one-sided conversation. I've heard of reverse culture shock. Not sure if that is a real thing or not. I think mostly it is just a way to label that obnoxious behavior people have where they keep comparing one place to another and start to annoy family and friends. "Oh, yeah, this sushi is pretty good, but I had this tuna at this one tiny shop down in Shizuoka..."
Or however one talks about seafood.
Never mind that! Everyone expects to have some that-wasn't-my-home-but-I-think-I-am-homesick homesickness. When you've been gone for awhile, you're pretty much okay with the expected changes in the lives of people you know and having too many stories no one really wants to hear. Here's a list of other things that wasn't as prepared to handle.
Foreign Income
So, I have a house in Las Vegas 'cause I am an idiot and bought a house thinking I would never actually travel. If you want to refinance, foreign income can't be considered. Also, taxes are way more complicated. On one paper, I haven't had a job since 2011, but the IRS is quick to remind me, yes, yes I have. But it was overseas but file but don't...
Medical Stuff
I don't have insurance in America. I am sure I COULD get some, but I've only had insurance through work and I don't want to buy a policy and then leave the country a month later. Also, about 60% of doctors I've called trying to get my physical finished for my Chinese manage to work in a scolding about being 30 years old and not having a primary care physician. The last doctor I remember seeing in America, apparently, retired in 2011. I've gotten shots, treatments, and medications in other countries that aren't on my American medical record (which, I think, doesn't actually exist). Ah well.
Also, knowing the price of medical stuff in other countries makes me a grumpy fish in the States. Why isn't my asthma medication $3 like it was in Turkey???
Working Here or There
Now, I am sure a lot of people were a bit more motivated than I was and found ways of getting around this, but I just wanted to reinstate my sub license in Nevada to guest teach for a bit. The job application just assumes you have never left the States so there are drop-down boxes where you have to say what state Numazu is in or what the area code for your last school in Istanbul is. Hmm. Also, I hit a bit of a wall where company policy with my old Japanese company didn't really mesh with the reference section. My actual supervisor isn't allowed to be a reference and so on and so forth.
Also, I have a lot of gaps now in my work history. This doesn't, apparently, look good. I quit my last job in May of 2014. "What have you DONE since then?" "Uh, I traveled a bit." "Okay, and July 2012-January 2013?" "Ummm, camping and traveling." "Uh huh."
There are just a lot of things that don't really fit well with restarting in the States. I can't just call my old boss or give you her number. Also, since it seems a lot of people who work abroad tend to wander a lot, it is extremely difficult just coming up with email addresses of people to serve as references. The moment you think, "ah, yes. This guy. Professional reference secured!" Yeah, that is the moment he quits the company 'cause he is going to go live off the grid doing organic farming in Sumatra. The expat community seems to always been on the move.
Living Situation
So, I am in the States for a few months. This, to me, doesn't feel like enough time to warrant buying a car or leasing an apartment, but it is enough time that I am definitely aware of how nice those things would be. I felt like getting a job in December and quitting in February would have been a jerk-move, so I would definitely have loved to just worked odd jobs to get by. Luckily, I am still living off my savings from my last job. But... It feels a bit strange to be 30 and living with my family after living alone for so long. In my mind, my living situation makes sense and I don't really think I am a parasite to my family, but it certainly doesn't feel very respectable as you see a lot of your friends from high school and college living more traditional lives with the steady jobs and whatnot. Look at that guy. Driving his two-year-old Prius, buying new dishes, and getting engaged. Living in the same house for YEARS now.
Physical Stuff
Not a euphemism! I tend to gather stuff. I like buying media and things that are amusing, but everything I own needs to either be put in storage next month, thrown away, or dragged to China. Which makes owning anything seem stupid. What do you do with the stuff you like? I still, technically, have a house that, possibly, one day I will live in again. So, what do I...? My grandmother's antique lamps and dishes? The rather nice bedroom set I bought myself? Do I store these things indefinitely? Do I sell them? I'll be back someday, but it seems silly to pay for a storage unit (that I thought I would only use for one year back in 2011).
And it is AMAZING how quickly it accumulates! Pretty much, you realize everything is just a few ounces of over-weight from being thrown away, but that only dampens, not drowns, the impulse to collect.
Or however one talks about seafood.
Never mind that! Everyone expects to have some that-wasn't-my-home-but-I-think-I-am-homesick homesickness. When you've been gone for awhile, you're pretty much okay with the expected changes in the lives of people you know and having too many stories no one really wants to hear. Here's a list of other things that wasn't as prepared to handle.
Foreign Income
So, I have a house in Las Vegas 'cause I am an idiot and bought a house thinking I would never actually travel. If you want to refinance, foreign income can't be considered. Also, taxes are way more complicated. On one paper, I haven't had a job since 2011, but the IRS is quick to remind me, yes, yes I have. But it was overseas but file but don't...
Medical Stuff
 |
| Lunch time= nebulizer time! |
Also, knowing the price of medical stuff in other countries makes me a grumpy fish in the States. Why isn't my asthma medication $3 like it was in Turkey???
Working Here or There
 |
| It's just like an office party in the States! But different. |
Also, I have a lot of gaps now in my work history. This doesn't, apparently, look good. I quit my last job in May of 2014. "What have you DONE since then?" "Uh, I traveled a bit." "Okay, and July 2012-January 2013?" "Ummm, camping and traveling." "Uh huh."
There are just a lot of things that don't really fit well with restarting in the States. I can't just call my old boss or give you her number. Also, since it seems a lot of people who work abroad tend to wander a lot, it is extremely difficult just coming up with email addresses of people to serve as references. The moment you think, "ah, yes. This guy. Professional reference secured!" Yeah, that is the moment he quits the company 'cause he is going to go live off the grid doing organic farming in Sumatra. The expat community seems to always been on the move.
 |
| I could see Fuji from my second apartment in Japan, kind of |
So, I am in the States for a few months. This, to me, doesn't feel like enough time to warrant buying a car or leasing an apartment, but it is enough time that I am definitely aware of how nice those things would be. I felt like getting a job in December and quitting in February would have been a jerk-move, so I would definitely have loved to just worked odd jobs to get by. Luckily, I am still living off my savings from my last job. But... It feels a bit strange to be 30 and living with my family after living alone for so long. In my mind, my living situation makes sense and I don't really think I am a parasite to my family, but it certainly doesn't feel very respectable as you see a lot of your friends from high school and college living more traditional lives with the steady jobs and whatnot. Look at that guy. Driving his two-year-old Prius, buying new dishes, and getting engaged. Living in the same house for YEARS now.
Physical Stuff
 |
| 18 months worth of everything you need. |
And it is AMAZING how quickly it accumulates! Pretty much, you realize everything is just a few ounces of over-weight from being thrown away, but that only dampens, not drowns, the impulse to collect.
 |
| Oh! A pretty stone! This will take up no space in my suitcase.. |
 |
| These can squish... |
 |
| And a couple of books... knick knacks.. |
 |
| Dear God. I need to get all this back into two suitcases??? |
Now, it is at this point in the conversation where I would probably need a cup of water to ease my dry throat which would allow you to add things you've noticed, too, when you came back from a trip. I'd probably interrupt you a lot, but I actually am interested in what you have been annoyed with when coming back.
Too lazy to proof-read! Your thoughts?
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