Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Culture Shock

Now that I'm back in Mt. Pleasant, I feel like there a lot of things I need to readjust too. At first, the shock was simple. I remember my first time going to Wendys I ordered a regular size drink and literally guffawed at the size of it. It was almost overwhelming holding on to a drink I couldn't even wrap my fist around. Also, the sight and feel of American money was strange, even exciting. Readjusting to life with my family was even easier than I anticipated; I thought going home to the full household and heavy work schedule would take some adjusting, but it was a completely smooth and natural transition. Adjusting to life at CMU has been nothing like adjusting to my life at home. I really missed the campus atmosphere; being on campus at CMU is much different than the campus at Kingston. At CMU, campus is much more open and lively. I love seeing my friends on campus and stopping to say hi to all of them. It feels strange because it was rare I would see anyone I knew at Kingston. Campus has been a nice transition, but classes have left me in near shock. I don't remember being THIS busy on only my second day of classes. At Kingston, I actually forgot about the workload at CMU and, even worse, the cost of textbooks. Despite some strangeness, I am definitely enjoying my time back on campus - it feels brand new and exciting. I hope that feeling lasts!

I think I've experienced more culture shock coming home from my study abroad than I did arriving in England.