Reverse Culture Shock

[jake]

Reverse culture shock

Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. "Re-entry Shock", or "own culture shock"[6]) may take place — returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture.[7] The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock. This phenomenon, the reactions that members of the re-entered culture exhibit toward the re-entrant, and the inevitability of the two are encapsulated in the saying "you can't go home again," first coined by Thomas Wolfe in his book of that title.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock

Have noticed a number of members have plans to re locate to the Philippines.
Do you think you will have problems re adjusting? Do you think your wife's will have problems re adjusting?

My wife worked abroad for over ten years and it took her longer than me to adjust to living here on a full time basis.

[stevewool]

who knows how we all will adjust to the new life, yes it will be a holiday for a few months, but its after that, i am sure i will be ok, Ems well after being here earning money and working long hours, well i am sure just like your wife it will be hard at first for her, that is why she says she wants a business

[jake]

who knows how we all will adjust to the new life, yes it will be a holiday for a few months, but its after that, i am sure i will be ok, Ems well after being here earning money and working long hours, well i am sure just like your wife it will be hard at first for her, that is why she says she wants a business

Steve, i think it is a very good idea that she should have some sort of business to keep her busy whilst you are sitting on your behind enjoying retirement
Problem is she might start enjoying it too much and she will be away from home even more than she is just now! My wife tried staying at home one day and lasted till lunchtime as she wondered what was going on with our business.

[stevewool]

i have even offered for me to come to bohol and retire here start to build our house while she stays here in england working and living in our home here and she could send me money to help me when i am there, but all i got from her was the blackest look and a firm NO from that great idea

[jake]

i have even offered for me to come to bohol and retire here start to build our house while she stays here in england working and living in our home here and she could send me money to help me when i am there, but all i got from her was the blackest look and a firm NO from that great idea

Least you tried

[Terpe]

Interesting post that Jake.

I can speak from experience that when we came to UK, way back in November 2002, it really was a "re-entry schock" for me.
I hated it and found it extremely difficult to settle down.
Didn't like the food, or the prices. The people looked stressed and angry and their behaviour supported that impression. Most people were dressed so casually and dishevelled it appeared scruffy.
Nothing seemed to function or operate as it should. Shop staff sullen and unattentive. Customer service non-existent.
Fast food outlets dirty, tables not cleared and cleaned, floors dirty and spillages left to get trodden around and sure did.
Excessive yobbish behaviour and lack of visible police presence made 'going out' unpleasant.....

Whoaa, I need to be careful I don't get stuck in 'grumpy old man mode' here

After time it's possible to recognise that just like other places the UK has both good and bad aspects. It's really a matter of personal taste. You might think it's great and want to move there, or you might be stuck in the UK think it's terrible and you'd like to escape.
High (and ever increasing) retirement age, too few public holidays, miserable weather and a soaring cost of living (not to mention extreme high property costs) have combined to leave the UK trailing most other countries in disposable incomes and quality of life.

Here in UK we are taxed until the pip squeaks, the quality of life is appalling, wages are shameful and crime is spiralling.
The criminals have free rein while law abiding people seem to risk being persecuted.
The overbearing burden of bureaucracy, absurd laws and nanny state interventionism (over zealous sticking to trivial legalistic minutii) makes the country almost unjust to live in.
There’s not much here for me to be cheerful about.

Now see what you did Jake, I wandered off into rant mode again...

Says it all I guess.

There was a time when I would have agreed that my wife would have found in difficult to adjust to day-to day life in the Philippines. These days, I think she can see the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Let's make no mistakes though, living in a different country and different culture does not sit well with everybody.
Philippine life may not suit everyone and may end in tears. There's a lot of learning to do and a lot of careful integration also.
I image that for folks retiring in the Paradise Islands one of the major issues will be boredom. That needs to be avoided and resolved either before arriving or soon after.
Make a better life is the pathway to follow.

[stevewool]

i am glad i cant find any rope Peter, i would have hung myself after reading that

[stevewool]

Interesting post that Jake.

I can speak from experience that when we came to UK, way back in November 2002, it really was a "re-entry schock" for me.
I hated it and found it extremely difficult to settle down.
Didn't like the food, or the prices. The people looked stressed and angry and their behaviour supported that impression. Most people were dressed so casually and dishevelled it appeared scruffy.
Nothing seemed to function or operate as it should. Shop staff sullen and unattentive. Customer service non-existent.
Fast food outlets dirty, tables not cleared and cleaned, floors dirty and spillages left to get trodden around and sure did.
Excessive yobbish behaviour and lack of visible police presence made 'going out' unpleasant.....

from 2002 to the present day nothing has changed at all

[grahamw48]

Very good subject.

I certainly found that returning here after my many lengthy trips to Phils and Hong Kong seemed to make me somewhat morose and unsociable.

Now that it has been such a long time since my last one though, I have come to the conclusion that I am in fact naturally just a miserable old

[jake]

I went back to Scotland in February last year for 9 days. Although i enjoyed seeing my family, after a few days i couldn't wait to leave and go home to the Philippines.

Most of the people i grew up with seemed unhappy with their lives and spent the time i was there complaining about the cost of living and the weather

When i was growing up in Scotland there was a sense of community. All the kids in our village played together outside nearly every day. Our parents all knew each other and held social events on a weekly basis. These things seem non existent now.

Better not start ranting like Peter

Life in the Philippines is not always idyllic but i would have a major problem re adjusting to life in the UK.

[stevewool]

in our days of growing up, it was hard but we all seemed to have the same up bringing, you have your mates family who treated you like there own son and vise versa,then we grew up and into work and there was lots of work around then,
Times do change but it what you get use too, some move on others stay as they are and are happy too,
I think life were ever you are is down to yourself and how you deal with it

[RickyR]

I struggle more and more to handle the uk when I return, for the reasons that Terpe mentions.
The culture shock can be quite dramatic.

[sars_notd_virus]

Reverse culture shock

Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. "Re-entry Shock", or "own culture shock"[6]) may take place — returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above.

I'd probably be!!
....ive been here for 3years and havent come back for a holiday in the PH...
imagine getting used to fresh cold weather here then back to 37degrees ..I'll be toasted the minute i land in the airport
...I am used to seeing all white and tall/fat people then when arrive in PH all small , tiny slim and brown

[fred]

Im getting reverse culture shock just reading this thread.
Think I need a brandy.

[sars_notd_virus]

Think I need a brandy.

have a nice booze fred

[Arthur Little]

Hmm ... ... all you expats had better watch out lest the Government of the Day insist you sit the new 'Life in the UK Test' in order to bring you "up to speed" on your return to the land of your birth.

[jake]

Hmm ... ... all you expats had better watch out lest the Government of the Day insist you sit the new 'Life in the UK Test' in order to bring you "up to speed" on your return to the land of your birth.

Funny you should say we are expats. Have never regarded myself as an expat but i am not sure why

I probably would score higher in the "Life In The Philippines Test'

[Terpe]

Im getting reverse culture shock just reading this thread.
Think I need a brandy.

I'm still trapped here
Think I'll have another beer

[Terpe]

I'd probably be!!
....ive been here for 3years and havent come back for a holiday in the PH...
imagine getting used to fresh cold weather here then back to 37degrees ..I'll be toasted the minute i land in the airport
...I am used to seeing all white and tall/fat people then when arrive in PH all small , tiny slim and brown

My wife still laughs about how the brits suddenly strip down and lay around everywhere at the first sight of warm sunshine. Then suffer with bright red glowing sunburn.
She just doesn't get it all. Nor do I really