It's been 2 years since we moved to Hungary after 12 years living in the US and in Italy.
After living away from "home" for so long I'm all too familiar with culture shock and homesickness. But to be honest, I'm not even sure where HOME is anymore... We lived in Hungary, in Italy and in the US and wherever we are we always miss the other two places. Totally normal, right?
I am a little surprised, to be honest that this phase of reverse culture shock hasn't passed yet.
(Reverse culture shock is the emotional and psychological distress suffered by some people when they return home after a number of years overseas. This can result in unexpected difficulty in readjusting to the culture and values of the home country, now that the previously familiar has become unfamiliar.)
I was born and raised in Hungary. Got married to an American and moved overseas at the age of 26. So between the ages of 26 and 40 I lived in either the US or Italy.
So basically most of my adult life I lived away from my home country. I had kids, jobs, raised a family, payed bills, dealt with government and learnt to be an adult abroad.
When we moved back to Hungary I felt very lost. I felt like a child who doesn't know how to do anything. I missed all the familiar things, stores, people, driving, but knew that eventually I would learn how to live here and would get used to things here. But after two years I still feel unsettled and anxious. Will I ever readjust?
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