5 Things Only People Who Have Lived Abroad Will Understand

Reverse culture shock is real. We experience culture shock when leaving home, but the process of re-adjusting is back home is equally (if not more) as difficult! We are our own entity. NO ONE UNDERSTANDS!!!

1. Mixing Your Languages

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Unless you were living in an English-speaking country, you have the constant urge/habit to speak the language of the country that you were living abroad in. Whether you're saying "hola" and "gracias" or "bonjour", it was a habit for you to speak the common words abroad. You accidentally bring them up at restaurants and grocery stores, and the cashiers glare at you weirdly, like "what are you even saying bro". "Hi" and "thank you" just seem boring now.

2. (Not-So) Eternal Freedom

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Normally if you're living abroad for a certain period of time it is for school, teaching, working, or pure travel. Either way, there is some form of responsibility constantly attached to you. However, being abroad automatically instigates *cue Braveheart* a sense of abundant freedom. You feel invincible and there are always new adventures to look forward to. It's a beautiful feeling, but when you come back home from abroad, it's the complete opposite. You almost feel trapped, and you realize that the "travel bug" is a real disease. You try to focus on progressing with your life, you try reaalllly hard, but you somehow always end up on Cheapoair or teach abroad sites, searching for more ways to keep traveling.

3. Using the Wrong Money

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What currency did you use abroad? Was it pesos? Euros? Maybe even U.S. dollars but with the out-dated coins? Most people who have lived abroad will come back to their home town with left over currency from the other country. Naturally one of the most exciting parts about being back is indulging in your favorite local foods. So while you're ordering from Taco Bell's new dollar menu, you are rustling for spare change in your purse and by this point you've probably accidentally given the cashier a coin that you thought was a quarter, but was actually a peso. Now he or she either thinks you are a cool globetrotter, or a skilled scammer. The struggle is indeed real.

4. Not Being Able To Hug Your Friends When You Miss Them

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One of the best parts of living abroad is meeting new people and making new friends. One of the worst parts of coming back home is leaving these friends behind. Sometimes you just want to hug them or give them a kiss on the cheek (or more...if you had a romantic relationship). Sometimes you need a shoulder to cry on or want to their shoulder to cry on, literally, but Skype nor FaceTime permit that. On top of that, you're always trying to find the right time to Skype with your friends because of time differences and busy schedules, and you're constantly freaking out about if they are going to forget you. And when you do talk to them, it's bittersweet because they make you so happy, but it makes you miss them even more. Here's to hoping that future technology will allow us to hug each other through computer screens.

5. Wanting To Do Things, But Choosing To Not

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It's an understatement to say that re-adjusting is difficult. In the initial stages of "reverse culture shock", your mind is in a constant stage of conflict between how to feel and what to do. Part of you thinks that going out and doing things will make you feel good and happy. Part of you wants to search and apply for jobs, but the other part screams, "This is so real world, I want to go back to (insert country name)." Maybe you feel like you have no friends. When they ask you to hang out, you stress about all the questions they are going to ask you about your time abroad. Even worse, asking you what your next plans are, which is obviously the most intimidating question ever created. So to avoid what seems like a messy situation, you decide to stay at home and drown yourself in nostalgia by looking at photos from abroad whilst eating Ben & Jerry's Chunkey Monkey, straight out of the carton. Deep down inside you're praying to God that this state of being is only temporary.