I was reading about culture shock today. Apparently the first stage is euphoria. Everything is new and exciting and beautiful. I really like this stage, lol.
However I think I've moved on to stage 2. This is the stage where you feel overwhelmed, frustrated and annoyed. You start to withdraw into what is "safe". I'm just not up to going to new restaurants, trying to communicate with gestures and pointing at pictures. Always feeling like a big fumbling American, worried about offending someone and you don't even know what you did. The crazy motorcyclists. (Seriously, they are insane and they weave in and out of traffic like they're invincible...the idiots) I'm sick of the blank stare I give when the cashiers ask me something and I don't have a clue what they're saying. I cut into a "lime" today, and it wasn't a lime, it was orange inside and didn't taste like any citrus fruit I've ever had.
We've only been shopping on base lately, only taking T to the on base playgrounds etc etc etc.
Apparently the next stage is being sort of depressed and idealizing your home culture, after that comes acceptance and independence. I'm hoping to skip the depressed stage.
Okinawa is amazing, but it's definitely not home. Not yet anyway.
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