Our Story: Thursday, September 04, 2014

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Culture Shock...

I have never understood culture shock.

Culture Shock- noun

the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

One site stated that the most common problems include: information overload, language barrier, generation gap, technology gap, and homesickness to name a few.

When I mention that culture shock is an issue with returning to the US, most people look at me quite strange. I am here to tell you, it is real. I have lived out of the country for all but one of the last nine years. I have trained my brain to say things and do things and be a certain way in situations for a long time now. I know I learned it the "American way" for many years before, but I can't unlearn the last 8 years of my life. It is strange, I know.

I think maybe you need to see what I am dealing with.

Grocery shopping in Mexico is not that hard. There are about 2-3 choices for most things. Unless it is salsa, tuna, or yogurt. So you go, you get what you need and come home. Either they have it, or they don't. If Wal-mart doesn't have it, usually no one else will either. So here, I have to think about a million different things.

First: I have been thinking in pesos forever. So I have to think, is this a good price, or not? I don't know what is a good price and what is a rip off. There are grocery stores, Wal-marts, Super Target, Aldi, I mean, how does anyone decide where to buy your food. Then you have to throw in coupons and double coupons and by that time, my nerves are so overloaded I would probably spend double for everything just to leave the store.

We love Pop-tarts... but I have never seen so many flavors in all my life!

The candy choices are crazy! I mean...you think about it and they have made it.

When I shopped for my last hair dryer there were 2 to choose from, really expensive and not as expensive.

I think they have every flavor of cereal possible.

I have never seen one of these sold before...

Annie was amazed.

This little thing has made me look like an idiot way too many times. I have a card that some machines require you to push it in the end part and read it that way. See where the little arrows are pointing on the bottom of the machine? However, not all machines. some I still swipe it and go, others, not so fast. However, in Mexico I never used any machine. I would hand it to the person and they did it for me. ;o)

This may be the hardest thing for me to accept. I don't understand it. If you wonder

why families are falling apart... ummm... look around you at restaurants. People aren't talking to

each other, they are on their phones, or surfing Facebook or both.

I have walked around campus, you know at a seminary and I can't find anyone who will look up from their phones to say, "Hello." I am not used to people being so into their phone world that they don't notice they one going on around them.

I truly struggle with this. I thought it was only celebrities that had their phones

always in their hands. I am so out of it.

Now this is a culture shock we can all get used to! The prices at the Sam's cafe are incredible! The price for the hot dog combo or pizza combo are both cheaper than just a drink in Mexico. The Sam's in Mexico charges $2 for a drink.... AND.... I paid it, every week!

I have never seen so many drink choices in all my life. How do you know what to drink? I am enjoying this part of the culture shock.

We went to a sports store and Annie loved playing putt-putt while her brother's shopped.

This machine has had me looking like an alien in more ways than one. I have looked around trying to make sure no one is watching me many times. I am sure every camera zooms in on me thinking I am going to leave without paying b/c I look super suspicious. I cannot figure them out without reading every instruction first. The first few times I did it, I did it all wrong and about left without gas. (cuz I wasn't going to look like a fool!)

So, my favorite new place to shop is Aldi. I have only gotten one product that got a thumbs down from the family and that was their yogurt. So... thanks to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law I didn't look like a fool when I went there. This little dohicky is way cool, but so out of my cultural thinking. Love it! Annie loves to find stray buggies and earn a quarter!

So most have posted their first day of school pics. I didn't do that this year. I was doing good to have a first day. But.. here is my first born on his first day of work. He has made us so proud getting up sooo early and going to work almost full time.