The first culture shock is when you arrive in a faraway land. The second culture shock is when you arrive back home.
The second one is stronger.
~
Life in a quiet suburb of San José, California is much different from life in the bustling student town of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
For one thing, I can’t bike around everywhere like I used to — not unless I feel like getting flattened by the cars crossing into the painted bike lane. Favorite places and favorite people are no longer accessible on a whim. I miss that freedom.
It’s daily life and daily routines that I miss the most. I miss skating on the ice. I miss stroopwafels, late-night kapsalons, and the raw herring they sold at the Saturday market. I miss tea times with my neighbors. I miss the coffees with friends, and coffees alone out in town. I miss the Friday afternoon drinks that took place every week, at the same time, at the same place, with the same people. Oh, what I would do just to hear a Dutchie raise their pitch every time they say “doei!”
What a special time it was!
~
It’s easy to romanticize the past, especially when it means so much to you.
But I know I will find reasons to love it back home, just as I have found many, many reasons to love my time in Utrecht.