Once again - those Reverse Culture Shock Comments

I often write these blog posts because it is something I notice every time we come back.

It is normal to notice different things and actions in various countries. When you have lived in a country that isn’t your passport country for as long as we have, there are things that you notice when coming back ‘home’.

Here are the main things I have noticed upon arrival in our first couple of weeks.

  1. The vehicles, esp. the trucks, are large!

  2. The people are friendly. Total strangers will talk to you in the stores, in lines, cashiers will chat with you, and people will greet you that you have no idea who they are. None of these things happen in Poland, as a general rule.

  3. Fast food is pricey! The serving sizes are quite large, however, - esp. the French fries!

  4. After Christmas sales are real! High percentages off at Walmart, Walgreens, Hobby Lobby, etc. mean that the deals can be had. The Christmas wrapping paper sizes were enormous compared to what we have grown accustomed to.

  5. This New Year’s was so strange to us. For 30 years in Poland, our New Year’s Days have been relatively quiet because almost nothing is open and people are hung over. Here shops were open, and shopping was everywhere. Well, not everywhere, but you know what I mean. Walmart, quilt shops, at least some of them, and other large stores were all open. Here in Florida it was quite warm as well. Definitely different for us!

  6. We have noticed a large increase of what appears to be homeless people in our little town. Lots more people are walking around on the sides of the roads than I remember before. Dade City only has about 5000 people, so while we’ve always had those who were quite poor, I didn’t used to notice people pushing around shopping carts before while walking down the street. I really don’t notice homeless people in Poland, though I know they exist especially in Warsaw. Almost everyone has at least a room to sleep in.

  7. Amazon. It’s amazing. Amazon in Poland isn’t nearly as fast as it is here. I ordered some vitamins in the morning and they arrived within 4 hours! I guess they were at a local warehouse. I can see why it can be dangerous for the pocketbook!


    And so these are my first observations!

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey!

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

Becky Petersen4 Comments