How to Embrace Reverse Culture Shock (Sunny Side Up)

How to Embrace Reverse Culture Shock (Sunny Side Up)

This article truly helps those struggling with reverse culture shock. I have found myself rarely wanting to use my cell phone, and I could care less that I now don't have a car.

Culture shock and a case of travel withdrawal

I already need a change of pace, change of venue, change of something.
I am drowning under the monotony of regular life.
It has been exactly seven days since I have been back, and it already feels like weeks upon weeks.

Why is it that no one cares about the rest of the world, no one is bothered by international matters here?
It is so hard to talk to anyone about this, when I am even unable to form words to what I am feeling.

Wait.. Did last semester really happen?

Today was the first day of the spring semester back at Marietta...

It was just like where I had left off before; all my old friends with a few new fresh faces scattered in between. Except, I can't seem to get back into the groove of things. Granted, it is only the first day back.. But, I have already noticed a number of things that are completely different. Have my fellow classmates always talked about things that seem so insignificant in comparison to an international scope? Are they even aware of anything else outside the United States?
I knew before I left that a lot of US citizens didn't really know much about the world, since our country is huge and somewhat secluded... Or at least those have been the most common excuses that I have always heard. But, these are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, aren't they?
I am thankful for my Social Justice class that I am taking; it allows us to explore real-world issues and I am sure will be a great way to reel in everything that I experienced during Semester at Sea. We have to make a personal commitment statement in which we attempt to make changes in the world, no matter how big or small. I am thinking about doing something with Pencils of Promise; the organization that Adam Braun talked with us about on the ship, oh so long ago. Maybe we could start small, and just fund $500 to sponsor 20 students, or maybe I could make an extremely ambitious goal and push for $5,000 to actually build a classroom.. I have until next Monday to write up my plan; I guess I will have to reflect upon it.

On a more positive note, I have loved seeing everyone again! Marietta truly is a wonderful community, and I couldn't be happier here. I will just have to rough it out, until I adjust to things back here in the real world...

December 5, 2011

 

Day two in Costa Rica…

Exotic is the word of the day.

 

The day began with Eva, Kyla, Jess, and I attempting to grab one of the few seats on the shuttle amidst the swarming crowd of others with the same intent. Instead of docking in Puntarenas as the itinerary said, we were docked in Puerto Caldera. To get to Puntarenas, we had to take a half-hour shuttle. The shuttle only ran on every hour, so everyone was pushing and shoving to get on the first 9:00 departure. Luckily, all four of us managed to get a seat amongst the vultures. We hopped off the shuttle right in front of a bank, where everyone got out money. There was a line of locals, but a security guard insisted that we cut all the locals and not take a number like everyone else. The Costa Ricans didn’t even seem upset that the guard forced us to cut them. I am not sure if this was because of their running of “Tico Time” or what? They even smiled at us as we cut them? I was somewhat concerned… That would not fly in the States at all. I can only imagine the mayhem that would break out because of this incident if it were an American bank… After the bank, we made our way towards the shoreline. Along the water there were stalls and booths set up selling various wares such ranging from jewelry, coffee, purses, and etc. After posing for pictures and what not, we made our way back to the bank as everyone had used up most of their money in the “market.” We ran into Maddie, a Lifelong Learner who hails from Hawai’i. She told us of an amazing restaurant just down the street, and we pleaded with her to come eat with us. We feasted on chicken fajita with fresh veggies and some sort of plantain pancake. After lunch, we went back to the market and also stopped in a supermarket. Kyla bought tortillas as she wants to make her own breakfast burritos, and Eva bought me some ice cream J Hot and tired after only a few hours out and about, we headed back to the shuttle stop. On the shuttle, Eva was teaching us Samoan phrases and songs. We got back to the ship, and met up with Lizzy and her sister Ally, and her Aunt Cynthia. I gave them a tour of the ship alongside Liz, and then after just a short time, we were waving good-bye on the gangway. And that was Costa Rica J

Pura vida!

 

Olà from Costa Rica!! I am devastated that we only have 2 days in this beautiful country. Today I went to a cloud forest and visited Poas National Park. It took about 3 hours to get to the national park, and it was well worth the drive. Clustered around the walk-way were “poor man’s umbrellas” which were huge plants that looked just as they are named. The main attraction of the park was the semi-active volcano and crater. When the wind was blowing, the sky blue boiling lake was uncovered from the steam. The volcano last erupted in 2009, and our tour guide had a friend who had been in the park at the time, and caught it all on tape. We left the park and jumped back on the bus, heading for lunch. We were notified that it was being served buffet-style in the restaurant we were going to; made my day! We had “casado” which means married in Spanish. Our tour guide said that the dish is called this, because after you get married it is all your wife will cook you. We had rice and beans, breaded fish, a beef stew concoction, plantains, and a noodle salad. Everything was delicious! I went back for seconds of the rice and beans; you can never get too much rice. The dessert was a piece of strawberry cake with a fresh strawberry on the side. We also had a strawberry smoothie for our drink. I tried Costa Rican coffee, which is one of the staples that Ticos are very proud of… It was so strong! I am not usually a coffee person, so I don’t think that I was able to value it for what it was worth, but it sure seemed like a strong, decent cup of coffee. After lunch, we were taken to a few different shops on the way back. Our bus driver would randomly pull over to the side of the road, and pick pieces of a random coffee bean crop, or banana leaves, or pieces of a tree from the side of the road. Our tour guide Eric, said he loved our driver Chico because he was always doing this sort of thing. So Chico would find us things on the side of the road, and Eric would pass them around the bus and tell us about the different crops and the economy of Costa Rica. I would love to come back and spend more time here; there never seems to be enough time in any of the countries we have been to. One thing I noticed that seemed very different from the States was the fact that most of the houses had a front porch. The USA seems to value the back-porch more, as it offers a sense of privacy and security. I think the front-porch has more of a meaning than just a few chairs in the front of a house. The Ticos were so friendly, and everyone seemed so happy and were all smiling. It was comforting receiving smiles back, especially coming from Asia where it really isn’t in the Asian culture to smile back at strangers. Every time we passed anyone on the street, they offered our tour bus a wave and a huge smile. My Portuguese skills have really helped here as well! I could make out what some of the signs said just from the little Portuguese that I have learned thus far! It just means that I am going to have to learn Spanish and come back to Costa Rica! Pura vida!

December 1, 2011

Somewhere under Mexico or Texas?

 

We have been crossing the Pacific for about 8 days now, and those days have been jam-packed with events, classes, and studying. We organized a Hunger Banquet yesterday, which was definitely emotional to say the least. The statistics of such things now have such a greater impact on many of us; they no longer are just numbers. They are the starving children we saw in Khayelitsha Township in South Africa, or the children begging on the streets in India. We have had coffeehouses and talent shows, and a World AIDS Day Commemoration. There was also LipDub, which is the first lip dub to be performed at sea. We are going to be a YouTube phenomenon! Check the Semester at Sea website in the next few days; the video should be going up soon: semesteratsea.org.

 

We have all been busy with finals and end of term papers and studying. Today I had my first final; it wasn’t necessarily an exam though. We had to write an in-class essay on the negatives of English as a global language. Tonight is the Alumni Ball! The theme is Bollywood, so I am going to wear the saree that I got in India with my host mother. We are having dinner at 8pm. There were two dinner sections; one at 5 and one at 8. Lizzy, Kyla, Wiliama, and I had been planning on making reservations to eat together, but then Wiliama was asked to sit at the Captain’s table as a student of distinction and invited me to be his date J We are going to have a 6 course meal and I am sure it will be delicious, especially if we are sitting with the Captain.

 

We only have 12 more days left until we reach Florida… Where in the world has the time gone?!?! (Hahaha.. Get it?) We are going to reach Costa Rica on the 3^rd, Honduras after that, and then we will be home!?

 

 

November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving Day

Hilo, Hawai’i

 

Today was like any other normal Thanksgiving except for the fact that:

 

A.    I was in Hawai’i

B.     Instead of being surrounded by snow and brisk winter winds, I was surrounded with palm trees and sunshine

 

It was similar in the sense that I was surrounded by delicious food and warm, loving people. I spent the day with Kyla and Wiliama’s family, alongside Lizzy, Nikki Souza, and Val Brown. After only a few hours of sleep from last night, I began the day at 6:30 in the morning on Deck 7 for the sunrise. The sun was actually visible, which is a relief in itself compared to the last few ports which have been abysmally disappointing. After the sunrise, I breakfasted with Kyla, Wiliama, Eva, and eventually Lizzy. (She likes to take her sweet old southern time). We all parted after eating, and planned to meet up later when Kyla and Wiliama’s family arrived on the ship. After getting dressed and what not, I found Lizzy who informed me that Kyla and Wiliama’s family had just gotten on the ship. We gave Kyla’s family, which consisted of her mom, dad, brother, and grandparents a tour of the ship. You can tell exactly where Kyla gets her witty humor from by listening to any and all of her family members speak. Wiliama’s family joined us in Tymitz Square and we headed out into the Hawaiian sunlight.

 

Lizzy and I rode in a van with all of Kyla’s family to Community of Christ Church, where we would be eating. There was a separate house that sat alongside the church which is where we set up shop. As cars and vans were unloaded, the tables began to groan in protest at the amounts of food that were weighing them down. Before we ate, we nibbled on mana pua and nachos smothered in crab dip. Mana pua was sold throughout most of Asia in a lot of the Family Marts, Seven Elevens, and simple convenience stores. Kyla raved about mana pua, and insisted that we had to try it when we got to Hilo, and try it we did. It is something like a super doughy roll stuffed with meat, and it was pure heaven.

 

Before we ate, I played with Wiliama’s brother and sister; Kalanikapu and Ku`ulei. We played Hangman, each trading off on who was picking the words. However, I was often Kalanikapu’s assistant since he kept coming over to me and whispering how to spell one word or another. They were both absolutely adorable J

 

For dinner, my plate was loaded with turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, Christmas jello, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and I think that was all?.. Haha. For dessert was some type of Oreo cake. Mmmmm. After dinner, we gossiped about our voyage and answered questions about anything and everything. Wiliama’s Aunt Trudy gave us a 5 minute informational recap of the history of Hilo which was so interesting. I love the fact that Hawaii has so much culture embedded within it; I can truly see myself going to grad school here. I had been half-serious in contemplating Hawai’i as an option, but now I am almost 100% serious. Amazing people, great weather year-round, what’s not to like?

 

After our episode of gluttonous feasting, we piled into the cars and headed to Big Island Candies which was just down the street. We were immediately greeted with a sample of shortbread as well as some sort of chocolate with nuts. Samples were placed out everywhere, and despite the fact that I was feeling full to last me about a week, I tried many different chocolates and cookies. Live for the moment right? ;) One of the most interesting was a lavender cookie, which was somewhat like chewing on a tasty potpourri snack. Leaving Big Island Candies, we decided to fill our need for American exposure, and no we didn’t go to McDonald’s. We pulled into the parking lot of Wal-Mart, and I was filled with immediate happiness and a sense of home. Wal-Mart is heaven on earth. When I got my hair done in the salon on the ship, my hairdresser who hails from South Africa, said that every time the ship lands in the States all the foreigners head to Wal-Mart. I do not blame them whatsoever, and will never again take this lovely place for granted. We shopped around for about an hour, and most of everyone filled their carts with groceries. The ship food, although sometimes bearable, doesn’t compare to the wonders that Wal-Mart holds. We also did some souvenir shopping, which seemed sort of odd shopping for souvenirs in Wal-Mart, but hey, when in Rome right?

 

Unfortunately, the day had already flown by at this point. Wal-Mart concluded our day, and we headed back to the ship with heavy hearts, stomachs, and a heavy trunk full of Wal-Mart goodies. One day in Hawai’i is not NEARLY enough time. Rain was coming down as we walked up to the ship and said good-bye to Hawai’i; no need to be sad though, I have a feeling I will be back in just a short time J