Reverse Culture Shock

It always happens to me, coming or going, I have culture or reverse-culture shock. Whether it is going to Thailand or coming back to the U.S. there is this adjustment period. It really does feel a little like going into shock for a few days. I am just getting over it now, after being here for almost a week. We've only been gone for 6 months or it would probably take me longer to get over. It feels like I am putting on my "American" self, now. All the social rules change, our role in society, our status and social responsibilities change. For example, in Thailand we are at a higher economic and social level than the average Thai, which means, in that culture, we have more privileges, but also more responsibilities. Expectations change tremendously from 1 country to the other. As we board the plane I must change mental gears, and usually once we arrive, I feel disoriented and like isolating myself. This is just normal stuff, though, most folks go through this, some more than others. We know of a couple who just left Thailand after serving there for over 50 years, and coming back to the U.S. was very difficult for them. The America they left so many years ago is gone, and a new America has taken her place. Coming home now and again is one thing, coming back to stay is another. I can only imagine how they feel.
One thing I really like about coming or going is how early we get up in the morning! The first few days of getting up at 4 or 5 a.m. are a little annoying, but eventually we get up at 6a.m., cheerfully; quite an accomplishment for night owls such as ourselves.
The other day I had to go to the store to buy underwear for the kids, I forgot to pack it up with their other stuff. I was so disoriented I didn't enjoy it at all, it just felt like being in a weird dream. Then yesterday I went shopping for an Easter dress, my wonderful mother had given me money to buy myself a dress, and one for Poppy, too. I started to get over the weirdness of it and enjoy myself a little. Today I'll go again and I bet it will be fun.
I remember a story our old field leader told us, how after he and his family had been in Thailand for 4 years they had their first chance to go home to the U.S. On their first shopping trip to the grocery store they were so overwhelmed by all the choices they couldn't bring themselves to buy anything and just went home.
That is definitely a missionary story!