Reverse Culture Shock
 

This thread prompted me to post a link to this article we have in our article section about Reverse Culture Shock. It's an old article but I feel very relevant. In some ways the move back can be more difficult for us as we feel the "strange in the familiar," in which we think we will fit right back in but things that were once familiar to us are now strange, or have changed.

In some ways if we get confused over things abroad our British accents will somewhat explain away why we don't understand the way things are done, and so locals may give us a little leeway. However we don't get that luxury in the UK, because we sound like locals, therefore we must be.

I always remember getting a funny look from a woman in the newsagent where I grew up when I asked her how the Euro lottery worked. She actually knew me from school and had no idea I was living in the US, so probably thought I was a bit strange.

Another occoasion was when I was presented with a two pound coin in my change and I had no idea what it was. I think the assisant thought I had lost it.

So how about you? What was "strange in the familiar" to you when you first moved back, or indeed when you go back to visit family?

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

For those of us who emigrated before the age of t'interWeb, I'm sure we have what I think of as cultural gaps - many is the occasion when a person will be on telly and I have to ask, "Who is that?"

Whether it is sport, culture, or politics, I am completely out of touch with most of what happened in the 1980s and 1990s ...

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Me, too.

Like you, I have noticed this when watching TV and, while a name may seem familiar, the face does not. As a result, I have gone to Google images and looked them up as they were 20 years ago and then it hits home who they are.

I also found recently that my memories of the village in which I grew up as a young girl (around 5 years old) were grossly disturbed by present reality. I looked on VPike.com at the village as it is now and the beautiful country lanes down which we used to walk alongside the ducks has now been replaced by a motorway. I truly panicked and cried tears for a few minutes. Even though in my mind, I know you cannot reclaim time, it was still an emotional shock.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

For me it's been a bit like waking from a 17 year coma! Not hugely different but many things in popular culture have passed my by!
I thought Gary Barlow was a relation of Ken Barlow and something to do with Coronation Street (which I never watched anyway, and is now called Corrie, apparently!) and was getting confused with West Life and Westfield, the shopping centre! :eek:

The other big thing has been dealing with officialdom such as schools who are the worst for expecting me to know how things are done, dentists (who don't automatically do a clean and polish when you schedule a checkup) and I expect doctors will be different from what I'm used to too! :unsure:

But being back has been worth EVERY minute of it! :thumbsup:

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Reverse culture shock is something many do not recognise or talk about.
So much is written about culture shock when moving away but not much about it for coming back!
I am 11 months back in the UK and still finding things a little odd. I am glad to be back but still find it hard to settle down.
It is hard to talk about to people who have not been away. I love meeting others who have lived overseas and in some strange way they just understand it so easily.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

I cant believe that i'm so looking forward to global warming, it cant come quick enough to the UK.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Global warming will have the effect of making the UK colder, something to do with the Gulf Stream.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Yes, I saw on the news last night that Curly Watts is returning to Coronation Street and all I could think was "I never knew he left". :rofl:

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Me neither :lol:

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

damnit. :)

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Mine was when Dh and I went to Tesco and tried to pay with a £20 note, turned out the money had changed (we had no idea) and there had been a length of time when you could use them and the new looking ones, the check out woman said, "sorry love you can't pay with that" cue us looking bewildered, then my high school friend (supervisor) came told us why, we were the talk of the whole queue and the till next door, half the town then found out we'd been living abroad and saving all the birthday money the kids got sent over the years. :lol: We had to go in the bank and change it. Even the bank teller gave us funny looks "where did you find this in your mattress?" kind of comments
Oh and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to put petrol in the car, my elderly Mum had to show me LOL

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Thats awesome, love the story.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Hehehehehe..

I got it worked out::fingerscrossed:

When buying a car/caravan or haggling in a market I will put on a cloth cap and pretend I've never left Yorkshire: "ere my lad, that's a reet fine lookin' (car/caravan/whatever) but yull be gettin' nought fer it at t'price"

When chatting up a girl in the pub or dealing with the french (who dislike the english according to my french great grandmother) I shall put on my akubra and pretend I'm crocodile dundee: "g,day.. howyagoin, fair dinkum you'se pommy sheila's are a bit of orright"

I'll supply the "culture" you can provide the "shock" :rofl:

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Chip and Pin
Press the red button
Oyster cards
Trying to sort out change.
"Oh look at all the different types of Kit Kat/ Galaxy/ etc." - together with an odd look from the shopkeeper, because you still have a Brit accent.
Using 'American English' - 'Trash cans' for example.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

LOL Having been resolutely British in America just today I asked to open a checking acount in the bank only to be asked if I meant a current account! :rofl:
And for the life of me I just cannot get the hang of putting the day before the month. Even when I make a consientious effort to get it right it still ends up coming out (either on paper or more often verbally) month first! :eek:

And I have absolutely no idea what the red button does. I'm too scared to try it in case the TV blows up, or worse, rearranges where I know to find the channels/recording I watch!! :blink:

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Curly is coming back?? Cool ! LOL Sorry, big Corrie fan here :D Need my Corrie fix, especially as I have to watch it on YouTube because we don't get it on the telly.....:rofl:

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

I think the biggest hurdle will be remembering how to spell...harbour instead of harbor, neighbour instead of neighbor....LOL I'll have to forget everything I've learned since being in the US....all the different ways of saying things...trash, garbage, chemist, pharmacy, dollar, pound. Oh heck...we need a UK phrase book for Dummies...lol

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

The actor who play Kevin Webster (Michael LeVell) has disgraced himself with child sex charges. His scenes have been deleted from the last six weeks of filming the current storyline. Curly is getting those lines instead. I don't know how that will work. We're a year and a half behind in NZ with Coronation Street. Stella has just arrived behind the bar of the Rovers and Steve and Becky's marriage is breaking up. That's how behind we are !

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Yes, I saw all the news reports about Michael LeVell.....simply disgusting !

Wow, you have some catching up to do with your episodes...that's why I love YouTube. I'd hate to get back and not know what the heck is going on..lol

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

For those of you missing coronation street get Hulu and you can watch it on your computer or on your TV if you have the Wii or apple tv. I cam across it the other day and it plays the episodes about two weeks after they have aired. There are also lots of other UK shows on there too

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

I did think about that too...and doesn't Hulu have a monthly fee similar to Netflix???

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

is eastenders on there, i'd pay for that.


I know the shame... :)

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

I can never understand why the pay at the pump petrol has not seemed to have caught on in UK. It takes forever to put it in, then go inside and queue up to pay for it. That's going to be annoying to begin with.

Shops, if not in an out of town shopping centre, still close at 5:30pm.

Supermarkets - despite a lot of them being open 24hours, don't tend to stock their shelves throughout the day, so it's quite common for them to run out of bread or other essentials if you go after work.
Chip and PIN confuses the hell out of me, I always put the card in the wrong way and pull it out too quickly.
Checkout assistants sitting down also seems odd now, I don't think they're allowed to sit in USA certainly where I live they all have to stand up.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

I signed up to Hulu a while back and other than Doc Martin I couldn't find anything British on there. I was desperately trying to find QI on there and couldn't ?

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Nothing to be ashamed about.. LOL

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

What is QI??? Sorry for the ignorance..lol

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

TunnelBear - best $4.99 a month I have ever spent I watch Corrie, EastEnders and wait for it......Casualty, usually the same day as they are on in the UK only my time. Now that is a very sad ;)

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Huge tunnelbear fan here too. Reliable and inexpensive way to watch the Telly. I'm still always amazed thats Corrie, Eastenders and Casualty are still on! I haven't seen an episode of Casualty for 20 odd years, does it have any of the same actors? Is it still any good?

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Gosh, I didn't know any of this, although I haven't seen him on the show for a few weeks (watching on the iPlayer). It will be fun to see Curly back, though. The simple look on his face is very entertaining :)

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

It's a sort of quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry (one of my favourite people ever) QI stands for quite interesting I believe.

It's not your typical quiz show, but is really funny and contrary to the title, is very interesting :)

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

One or two places do pay at pump - our local Tesco has a couple (along with traditional pay pumps). I'm with you - I think it's super efficient and fab, but it doesn't seem to be too popular, most of the people I know don't bother with it :)

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Ah yes, but you can't use the 5p a litre vouchers and don't get the stickers for the nice pyrex stuff if you pay at pump. Although I think you do get clubcard points. What's the point in that!

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Morrisons has "pay at the pump".

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Tesco had it before we left - it was handy with little kids.

My jaw dropped last time I was back, my Mum's local petrol station has an M&S food hall.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Very interesting thread, Notice there are hardly any Aussies returnees on it. After all we get QI on TV, have the Red Button and have Cheque accounts ;) Also have Pay at the pump and in the store.

I'd be stumped with the money as well I will admit. One thing I wouldnt be able to fathom .... Phoning up a help line and getting charged by the minute.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

:lol: I hit the red button one time, nothing happened, maybe I didn't press hard enough or long enough.

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

My local Asda has a drive through where you pay!
Love it!!!:D

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

The red button?

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

Surely you've got one ?

Re: Reverse Culture Shock
 

When I came back for a hol in the summer these were the things that struck me:

-ve
How fat the UK is becoming (maybe not so noticeable if you're coming from the US:rofl:)

The attitude of a (significant minority) of Brits, who have the - 'they owe us something mentality'

How some women 'act' like men.

Shops closing early.

Lack of customer service in lots of shops, and the shocking attitude of some of the staff - standing around/leaning on stuff/chewing gum/ heard one guy talking about how stoned he got the night before.....

+ve

SAUSAGES - real nice one's!

Brit's humour (could also stick that in the -ve too maybe!:p)

Nice selection of beer!

FAMILY!

Cities are all different - not all 'clones'