These four stages of culture shock aren’t new to me. I’ve experienced them many times!
But this time back in South Africa feels different. I don’t know if it’s that the country is so less stable than last time I was here three years ago. Or whether it’s my age? Or that my expectations of integrating into everyday life here were too high? Or the life situation I was coming from so precarious anything seemed better?
It’s probably a combination of all the above.
This past year is one I am happy to see in the rear view mirror. It’s been extremely difficult and I’m anxious to move beyond it. Most of the time I feel like I have barely been treading water, keeping on keeping on. At times I have just wanted to give up and go hide under a rock somewhere. But each time, I manage to pick myself up, find something else to focus on (mostly trying to find ways to increase my income) and take another step.
Today is Thanksgiving over here in the US. The whole idea around it gets sort of lost amidst the Black Friday hype, the massive sales on overbred turkeys and huge traffic jams! Not to mention that the stores are all decorated for Christmas, another overly-hyped holiday, (in my opinion).
I guess I’m the grinch who is stealing the holidays.
Wheels mean freedom!
Having Lucy to get around in has made a profound difference to my life. And although it’s not like I am traipsing all over the place or taking road trips (yet!), just knowing that I can hop in the car to go to the store without it being a mission, is huge. Of course, when I start making payments at the end of the month, it might not feel quite so good! So in the meantime…
Something very important became really clear to me over the past 24 hours. While I was holed up in my little house in cold and dreary Washington, and as I became more and more isolated, retreating into myself, I lost track of friends and community. The embarrassment of my situation, or what I saw and felt as embarrassment, kept me from reaching out. I just couldn’t stand seeing the pity in their eyes — or what I perceived as pity.
