Reverse Culture Shock

Re-Entry- Changes You Will Face

This month I rediscovered a book on my shelf, Re-Entry by Peter Jordan. Ten years ago I wrote an article on Re-Entry dealing with the stages in the process of re-entry to your home culture. This article has more to do with the changes that have occurred during overseas service and how that effects returning home.

Peter Jordan writes, “Things have not been stagnant during your time away. It is imperative before you leave the mission field to take time to properly assess how much you have changed, and how much things have changed back home.

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Frogs of the World, Unite!

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We call ourselves frogs, my husband and I. It all started with the international symbol for TCKs (Third Culture Kids). That symbol is a blue circle that overlaps a yellow circle with green between. Kermit the Frog used to sing, “It’s not that easy being green. . . ” That led us to think of frogs. They are green and can live on land or in the water.

Personally, I don’t think it is only TCKs who feel they are a blend of cultures, not really one or another.

We tell people we are from our passport country. But just get us back there for a week and we see just how much we are like our host country. Some of the customs, thought patterns, and life-style of both places have gotten all mixed up in us.

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When the Familiar is Frightening

“I can’t decide!” That was my cry every time I tried to buy cold cereal after returning to the States. In our African posting, there were seldom any cereals available at our small grocery. Early years in Asia were not much better, but at least we could get a couple different kinds. With few choices for several years, this dazzling array was overwhelming: sweetened, unsweetened, oats, rice, corn, or wheat, in a box or bag, plain, with or without fruit or nuts. “It’s too much!” I lamented. The cereal section was a whole aisle long, top to bottom.

One friend we visited on furlough asked me to help her make spaghetti. “Takes about 30 minutes,” she said. “Not where I came from,” I thought. It couldn’t be done. I envisioned thawing the meat as I cooked it, while cutting garlic, onions, and tomatoes to be sauteed. It would take almost half an hour to get the noodles cooked and we’d still have salad and garlic bread to make. She asked me to prepare the salad while she popped the meat in the microwave to thaw and cook, opened a can of sauce to warm in a pot, and buttered the bread with garlic butter from the refrigerator! We only had to set the table while the noodles cooked. No meal could be made that quickly with ingredients available overseas. I encountered these differences again and again. This was my home country, for crying out loud. Why did I feel so uneasy with the ease?

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Going Home

Re-Entry

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Re-entry to your home country takes just as much grace, maybe more, than leaving it did. Often your arrival on the field is more exciting and energizing than your return to your home country. The time and effort it takes to “fit in” comes as a surprise to many.

After the decision to return, there is much preparation necessary for a smooth re-entry.

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