Comments on: The Culture Shock of Coming Home

By: Anne P

Anne P — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:27:48 +0000

This is exactly how I felt when I came back from studying abroad in Australia in 2003, and then again how I felt after coming back from teaching English in Prague earlier this year. The hardest thing to deal with is that most people, after asking briefly how your experience was, don’t really care to hear much more. You feel so different, and yet the only people who really understand the difference are those that were there with you.

Great blog – keep it up

By: Lisa Lubin

Lisa Lubin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:24:40 +0000

PS–I saw “A Map for Saturday” about 2 years ago. Great film. Plus i had lunch with the filmmaker, Brook, about a year ago in NYC. Great guy.

By: Racky

Racky — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:59:06 +0000

I just came back almost a month ago from a 6-month trip and it’s surreal as what you have mentioned in your blog. I’m glad to know, that a lot of people feels the same way. When I came home, I can’t understand what I’m feeling. I don’t want to talk to my friends and family, well I tried to but it seems that something has changed but I don’t know what. Maybe it’s me…

The stories that I shared with them is incomparable to the actual magic that I felt during my travels…. feelings just can’t be verbalized…

Anyway, keep on writing man…

By: Mae

Mae — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:59:14 +0000

Amen. Well stated. I returned from 4 months in Rome to live in the fast paced, heart wrenching world of NYC and the difference between those two worlds was indeed shocking and I felt very alone in my feelings!!!
Now I know what to expect as I tend to return to Italy again soon.

Amen to your blog.
Cheers mate!

By: Travel Over 30s

Travel Over 30s — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:58:40 +0000

Oh good I was concerned that you had given it all up and become “normal”! Yeah a short trip “home” is OK but…. What I find now after years of doing this is that for no one place is home – my partner’s nearest relatives all still live in NZ but mine don’t and just because we own property,car and a storage unit of junk there it doesn’t make it home as far as I am concerned.
Lissie

By: Tumbrella

Tumbrella — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:04:38 +0000

So true Matt. I popped home for a wedding for the 1st time in almost two years not long ago. I found it a bit of a weird paradox. On the one hand, it really felt like time had stood still in my absence and nothing had changed, people were still doing the same thing etc.
However, at the same time, people had moved on, found new friends, partners etc and so had new parts of their lives of which I had no involvement – which made me fee quite detached at times.

By: Celine

Celine — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:38:38 +0000

“When you talk to another traveler though, you don’t need words. They just understand” Absolutely. So when and where are you plotting your escape next?
.

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:52:43 +0000

It’s hard to convey the magic but with all these great travel blogs out, you can live your trip over and over again!

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:50:22 +0000

I am very out of touch with most of the pop culture references people keep making!

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:49:20 +0000

No, it’s like asking how to do you summarize your whole life!