It has been shockingly difficult to return to our home country after our 2.5 years of life in Denmark. I never imagined it would be without its difficulties, but it turns out this repatriation business is fraught with emotional land mines and the agony of reverse culture shock.
We not only moved home to the United States, but we moved to a suburb. We would probably have felt culture shock had we just made this move from our home in downtown Washington, DC. Coming from Copenhagen just made it a little more difficult.
When you are away for a long time, coming home is tricky, because you can't really "come home" since home isn't your home anymore. Just as my room in my parents' house seemed smaller and less cozy than I had remembered when I came home from my first quarter of college, this new homecoming has opened my eyes to the flaws of my country and they are many.
I should mention here that I love the United States. It is my country, I am happy to be a citizen of this country and to have all the freedom afforded to me by our constitution.
And with that I will leave the rest to my three year old who has said the following things since we returned:
"Do people walk here? "
"There are a lot of cars here. There are hundreds."
"I want to say goodbye to my old home."
"Why aren't there any man teachers?"
"Are there any good bakeries here?"
We not only moved home to the United States, but we moved to a suburb. We would probably have felt culture shock had we just made this move from our home in downtown Washington, DC. Coming from Copenhagen just made it a little more difficult.
When you are away for a long time, coming home is tricky, because you can't really "come home" since home isn't your home anymore. Just as my room in my parents' house seemed smaller and less cozy than I had remembered when I came home from my first quarter of college, this new homecoming has opened my eyes to the flaws of my country and they are many.
I should mention here that I love the United States. It is my country, I am happy to be a citizen of this country and to have all the freedom afforded to me by our constitution.
And with that I will leave the rest to my three year old who has said the following things since we returned:
"Do people walk here? "
"There are a lot of cars here. There are hundreds."
"I want to say goodbye to my old home."
"Why aren't there any man teachers?"
"Are there any good bakeries here?"
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