Reverse Culture Shock

When people warn you about culture shock, they are often referring to the transitional period between arriving in a new place and assimilating in that environment. I found that the transition back to a familiar place constitutes as another form of culture shock, one that I am calling “reverse culture shock”.

            

I moved back to my hometown of Catonsville, MD one week ago; strange does not even begin to describe the feeling of living once again on American soil. In this first week, I re-learned seemingly basic American customs, such as speaking English at normal paces, jay-walking, transportation services that (sort of) run on time, working for 8 hours without breaks, and eating meals in 5 minutes or less. I can ask strangers for directions and understand every food item in the grocery store. I drive everywhere instead of biking or walking, causing me to spend more money on transportation than food for the first time since high school.

            

Honestly, the oddest thing about the United States upon returning from Poland, is that everyone speaks and understands English. I began my work at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum this past Monday. Last week, at this time, I relied primarily on nonverbal signs to communicate with my co-workers, and now, my entire position revolves around communicating with a team of other English-speakers.

Let’s back up: my six-month co-op experience is rather unique in that I combined two 3-month programs. The second half of my co-op is an intern position in the Project Management and Public Programs sections of the Marketing Department at USHMM. This position is a refreshing break from the history-heavy, content-based co-ops I sought out in the past. In this position, I will have the opportunity to share the knowledge I have acquired about the Holocaust through the development of events and projects.

I have yet to have a job, excluding my work in customer service, that relies on collaboration and teamwork. The constant conversing with project managers, creative directors and program developers has been useful in my exploration of different work environments. All this talking, however, is surprisingly daunting. I never thought I would have to re-accommodate to speaking English in a professional setting, especially considering it is the only language in which I am fluent. I am almost grateful for the bumps I encountered over the past week, as it reminds me that I lived in Poland for three months, something I seem to frequently forget.

When embarking on an international co-op, obvious concerns revolve around assimilating into a new culture and learning to live in this new environment. I spent little time exploring how this culture translates into the work environment. Returning the United States, I faced different challenges and accommodations with each environment I re-acquainted. Water is free in restaurants, windows have screens, coffee is not instant, “fresh” produce isn’t actually fresh, and English is spoken as quickly and efficiently as possible. Slang, abbreviations and short sentences prevail, contradicting my adjustments to the calmer, slower life of Poland. I diagnosed my condition as “reverse culture shock,” but this has an unnecessary negative connotation. The opportunities and experiences are still surreal, and my transition home promotes constant reminders of my Polish past. Not many people have the opportunity to miss other countries besides their native land. So, I do miss Poland, even if it is the country I love to hate.