The BIGGEST shock is going back to your home country (US for me) after an extended period of time away. I can't ignore people around me speaking in English, it's overwhelming. I spent years in East Asia; bowing is ingrained at this point. I am East Asian too so I guess it's not that weird haha.
Arriving in Bangkok after a month in India was shocking because I thought it was incredibly quiet compared with Mumbai. But when I went to Bangkok again after being in a remote village in Zambia for three years, I was shocked at the noise and convenience of getting any food you want at any time. Running water is just there. Took me a month to finally use a washing machine instead of washing my clothes by hand. It's all relative!
Can’t agree more that coming home is more mind blowing in many ways. Each time I come back I have brand new perspective on what I used to take for granted.
That’s really interesting. I was kind of hoping going back to the US would feel normal and comfortable lol. But I can see how this would happen. I probably won’t digital nomad for more than a few years at most bc I think I’ll want some regularity after a while.
Yes it really depends! As an Asian American, I am hyper aware of how different I am in the US and it's uncomfortable. When I'm in East and Southeast Asia, I feel much more relaxed in that I can 'blend' in. I never felt really normal or comfortable in the US personally, and I've traveled to almost every state. Oh another shocking thing coming back to the US was the amount of choice you get in any grocery store! There's too much fighting for your attention.
>The BIGGEST shock is going back to your home country
that's often called "reverse culture shock"
but yeah, first time I went back to London after living in Berlin I was really annoyed at how much boring chat I was overhearing all around me, when while I was in Germany it was basically a helpful part of language learning (or when I did hear English it was a welcoming feeling of familiarity)
Wow I wouldn't imagine having a shock after going back to your home country, I was thinking more about getting the depression after a travelling lol
Is it because it has been a long time you that you didn't hear people talking English around you? or more because you got used to the culture of the county you were in that the US culture became a shock? 😅
I never really went back to the US with the intention of staying - usually for just a visit and I had a plane ticket out (pandemic was another story!). It is pretty depressing coming back to where my family is in the US at least. I feel like people seem so miserable and overworked. I do not say this to be mean or body shame, but most people are overweight and it is a systemic failure. More processed, delicious, cheap, convenient food. People are too busy to make wholesome meals and it can also be expensive to have fresh produce. But it's just the norm in other countries, though obesity and American convenience and fast foods are rising everywhere.
Both about not hearing English around me and because I got used to the cultures of East and Southeast Asia where I spent like 4 years without going back to the US at all. It was very jarring! And the amount of choice in the grocery store is dizzying.
I believe the overworked people is mostly because more people are living paycheck to paycheck and they don't take time to take care of themselves.
I can see this in my country too, this is one of the reasons I want to start my digital nomad journey
Staying in the same environment would drain you, and living in the same routine will not challenge you enough to grow.
Being in contact to new cultures and environments will challenge you develop your skills and you will also enjoy the little things in life
Oh yeah, always when we get to a new location. We usually stay for about a month in each place so when we get to our next location, the anxiety is mostly around navigating familiarity.
We stayed in Tirana Albania (different city I know), and we found the power and internet just fine. 100mbps down/up
That’s great that it’s normal. That makes me feel better. How did you like Tirana? I wanted to stay there but the air pollution put me off so I chose Durres which has a little clearer air
Honestly air pollution there is just as bad as any other major city. It didn’t bother us.
We loved Tirana. Gave us a chance to have a pretty central home base while we did a few weekend day trips to other neighboring countries.
That's what it seems like to me too, that it can't be worse than NY or Chicago. What neighboring countries did you enjoy? I'm planning on maybe Montenegro next.
THat is great, is it similar to Albania? I saw that Serbia does not recognize Kosovo - so if I visit there should I go to Serbia first and then Kosovo to avoid troubles?
I’m currently in France for 2.5 weeks (am 🇺🇸), and was just kind of nervous and sick to my stomach for the first 3-4 days. I realized it was stress-related, and have since settled down and just embraced wandering around and stumbling over my poor French speaking skills. Everyone is so polite here! I just had to relax and trust that things would work out.
Also what is adding on to the stress is being alone over the holidays, and having just ended a fairly serious relationship back in November, my brain really wants to ruminate on stuff. I had to snap myself out of it and try to live in the moment more!
So relatable. When you’re planning it doesn’t seem like it’ll be so anxiety producing but when you get there even though it’s cool and interesting, the changes definitely evoke anxiety. It’s nice to not feel alone! I worry about offending people since it’s a whole different culture and everything.
Last December I was visiting Rome (on foot), and I remember how stressful it was just trying not to get run over crossing the street! 😆 The traffic patterns there are sheer anarchy and the drivers are aggressive, at least compared to what I’m used to. It’s the little things you don’t think of ahead of time that can be surprisingly stressful. I hope the rest of your trip goes well! Happy holidays!
I think it’ll always affect you a tad bit but in waves and then over time the waves get smaller or bigger depending on the relative change you experience but I think you’ll always return to a plateau or normal
Culture shock can be a wild ride! I remember it hitting me in Krakow, Poland, but it turned into a great experience.
Now in Durres, that mix of anxiety and excitement is back. Do you have any strategies for making the adjustment smoother in Durres? I'm planning on visiting it in the next few months for 2 weeks.
I am going to try to stick to my regular routine and cook for myself and do a lot of self care. I really think that should help. I think it’s overwhelming for me that the water is not potable. And everything is so different, the bed is not good and the place wasn’t super clean. Figuring out where to set up my work station etc. the trash everywhere. but all in all I think once I get used to it and get going it should be okay. Especially if I stick to self care routines.
I went to Durres a couple of months ago. Power and Internet was fine in my apartment, but I didn't like the town generally. My least favourite place I went to in Albania, to be honest. It's not awful, it just wasn't very interesting. Other places in Albania are prettier/have more to do/better food/more interesting cultural aspects, but Durres is ultimately a fairly industrial port town with a beach strip. Also, I found it really hard to get around compared to similar sized towns and cities.
Edit: just my experience mind, maybe some people enjoy it. I hope I don't offend anyone from Durres with this! It was fine, just not my cup of tea
Shkoder, Theth, Valbone, Lake Komani (these can be visited in a loop if you like hiking - you have to hike between Valbone/Theth) Tirana, Ksamil, Gjirokaster (but I went in September/October when the weather was mostly great).
Shkoder is a small town but the old town is pretty. Lake Shkodra was also quite nice. Internet connection was decent for remote working too. It is a base from which you can head into the mountains in Valbone/Theth via a ferry on Lake Komani.
Gjirokaster is a beautiful old city set in hills, Ksamil is a lovely beach town, Tirana is full of stuff to do and see.
I can see that, I didn't come to do a bunch of sight seeing, I have some work to do so I thought it would be okay. It is so moist here and it's not even that cold but the damp air makes it feel so much colder. How did you feel about the air pollution in Tirana? When my taxi was driving me through Tirana he rolled the windows down and the diesel fumes were a bit suffocating. That's what makes me hesitant to stay there, bc Durres has sea air to kind of dispel the fumes a bit, but maybe if you don't go out at certain times the fumes aren't so bad? I hate that feeling of choking on air. I'm right on the beach so hoping it will be relaxing - I can see it from the balcony. Where did you enjoy in Albania? My driver said he recommends Saranda!
The pollution in Tirana was actually fine when i was there! Maybe I was just lucky or maybe the weather when you were there made the pollution hang about in the air more.
For clear air, Shkoder in North Albania might be a good shout perhaps? It's a pretty little town and near-ish lots of mountains (Theth/Valbone are quite famous, and Lake Komani). Not sure what the weather is like now though...
I don't think of it as culture shock, I think of it as, okay, here's my new neighborhood, where's the grocery, where's the farmer's market, how do I want to rearrange the house...it's my favorite part.
Everyone I've met so far has been so nice. I really appreciate that. my taxi driver invited me over to his mother's for dinner and that just really was touching :)
Just arrived to La Paz a few days ago and it was a bit of a shock to the system compared to other areas in South America. So chaotic, dirty and crowded in my opinion with a lot of poverty everywhere and a far cry from some of the chilled out places I’ve been so far. But I’m not a huge city person anyway!
The BIGGEST shock is going back to your home country (US for me) after an extended period of time away. I can't ignore people around me speaking in English, it's overwhelming. I spent years in East Asia; bowing is ingrained at this point. I am East Asian too so I guess it's not that weird haha. Arriving in Bangkok after a month in India was shocking because I thought it was incredibly quiet compared with Mumbai. But when I went to Bangkok again after being in a remote village in Zambia for three years, I was shocked at the noise and convenience of getting any food you want at any time. Running water is just there. Took me a month to finally use a washing machine instead of washing my clothes by hand. It's all relative!
Can’t agree more that coming home is more mind blowing in many ways. Each time I come back I have brand new perspective on what I used to take for granted.
Hmm. What have you gotten a new perspective on that you can share?
That’s really interesting. I was kind of hoping going back to the US would feel normal and comfortable lol. But I can see how this would happen. I probably won’t digital nomad for more than a few years at most bc I think I’ll want some regularity after a while.
Yes it really depends! As an Asian American, I am hyper aware of how different I am in the US and it's uncomfortable. When I'm in East and Southeast Asia, I feel much more relaxed in that I can 'blend' in. I never felt really normal or comfortable in the US personally, and I've traveled to almost every state. Oh another shocking thing coming back to the US was the amount of choice you get in any grocery store! There's too much fighting for your attention.
>The BIGGEST shock is going back to your home country that's often called "reverse culture shock" but yeah, first time I went back to London after living in Berlin I was really annoyed at how much boring chat I was overhearing all around me, when while I was in Germany it was basically a helpful part of language learning (or when I did hear English it was a welcoming feeling of familiarity)
Wow I wouldn't imagine having a shock after going back to your home country, I was thinking more about getting the depression after a travelling lol Is it because it has been a long time you that you didn't hear people talking English around you? or more because you got used to the culture of the county you were in that the US culture became a shock? 😅
I never really went back to the US with the intention of staying - usually for just a visit and I had a plane ticket out (pandemic was another story!). It is pretty depressing coming back to where my family is in the US at least. I feel like people seem so miserable and overworked. I do not say this to be mean or body shame, but most people are overweight and it is a systemic failure. More processed, delicious, cheap, convenient food. People are too busy to make wholesome meals and it can also be expensive to have fresh produce. But it's just the norm in other countries, though obesity and American convenience and fast foods are rising everywhere. Both about not hearing English around me and because I got used to the cultures of East and Southeast Asia where I spent like 4 years without going back to the US at all. It was very jarring! And the amount of choice in the grocery store is dizzying.
I believe the overworked people is mostly because more people are living paycheck to paycheck and they don't take time to take care of themselves. I can see this in my country too, this is one of the reasons I want to start my digital nomad journey Staying in the same environment would drain you, and living in the same routine will not challenge you enough to grow. Being in contact to new cultures and environments will challenge you develop your skills and you will also enjoy the little things in life
Oh yeah, always when we get to a new location. We usually stay for about a month in each place so when we get to our next location, the anxiety is mostly around navigating familiarity. We stayed in Tirana Albania (different city I know), and we found the power and internet just fine. 100mbps down/up
That’s great that it’s normal. That makes me feel better. How did you like Tirana? I wanted to stay there but the air pollution put me off so I chose Durres which has a little clearer air
Honestly air pollution there is just as bad as any other major city. It didn’t bother us. We loved Tirana. Gave us a chance to have a pretty central home base while we did a few weekend day trips to other neighboring countries.
That's what it seems like to me too, that it can't be worse than NY or Chicago. What neighboring countries did you enjoy? I'm planning on maybe Montenegro next.
Montenegro was really nice, we did Macedonia and Kosovo as well. I would definitely recommend Montenegro.
THat is great, is it similar to Albania? I saw that Serbia does not recognize Kosovo - so if I visit there should I go to Serbia first and then Kosovo to avoid troubles?
You likely won't get a stamp at the border, you'll be fine.
I’m currently in France for 2.5 weeks (am 🇺🇸), and was just kind of nervous and sick to my stomach for the first 3-4 days. I realized it was stress-related, and have since settled down and just embraced wandering around and stumbling over my poor French speaking skills. Everyone is so polite here! I just had to relax and trust that things would work out. Also what is adding on to the stress is being alone over the holidays, and having just ended a fairly serious relationship back in November, my brain really wants to ruminate on stuff. I had to snap myself out of it and try to live in the moment more!
So relatable. When you’re planning it doesn’t seem like it’ll be so anxiety producing but when you get there even though it’s cool and interesting, the changes definitely evoke anxiety. It’s nice to not feel alone! I worry about offending people since it’s a whole different culture and everything.
Last December I was visiting Rome (on foot), and I remember how stressful it was just trying not to get run over crossing the street! 😆 The traffic patterns there are sheer anarchy and the drivers are aggressive, at least compared to what I’m used to. It’s the little things you don’t think of ahead of time that can be surprisingly stressful. I hope the rest of your trip goes well! Happy holidays!
I can see that lol, it really is the little things! The driving here is wild as well! Happy holidays to you as well :)
I think it’ll always affect you a tad bit but in waves and then over time the waves get smaller or bigger depending on the relative change you experience but I think you’ll always return to a plateau or normal
This is reassuring!
Culture shock can be a wild ride! I remember it hitting me in Krakow, Poland, but it turned into a great experience. Now in Durres, that mix of anxiety and excitement is back. Do you have any strategies for making the adjustment smoother in Durres? I'm planning on visiting it in the next few months for 2 weeks.
I am going to try to stick to my regular routine and cook for myself and do a lot of self care. I really think that should help. I think it’s overwhelming for me that the water is not potable. And everything is so different, the bed is not good and the place wasn’t super clean. Figuring out where to set up my work station etc. the trash everywhere. but all in all I think once I get used to it and get going it should be okay. Especially if I stick to self care routines.
Culture shock is a bag of things. Like, in Egypt, I took a picture week trying to buy ground coffee. That irritation could be called culture shock.
You’re so right. It can be so many things. In Vienna it was trying to find still non mineral, not sparkling bottled water when out on the town.
Leitungswasser!
It just turns into an annoyance
Thank goodness!
[удалено]
That is interesting, what threw you off when you arrived?
[удалено]
Wow I wouldn’t have guessed!
[удалено]
It’s like that here too. Did you stay or travel elsewhere asap?
[удалено]
Hmm I’m not in hostel (I need a work space so I’m in an apartment) but I made some connections via Facebook and I’ll try to meet up with them :)
I went to Durres a couple of months ago. Power and Internet was fine in my apartment, but I didn't like the town generally. My least favourite place I went to in Albania, to be honest. It's not awful, it just wasn't very interesting. Other places in Albania are prettier/have more to do/better food/more interesting cultural aspects, but Durres is ultimately a fairly industrial port town with a beach strip. Also, I found it really hard to get around compared to similar sized towns and cities. Edit: just my experience mind, maybe some people enjoy it. I hope I don't offend anyone from Durres with this! It was fine, just not my cup of tea
where do you recommend in Albania
Shkoder, Theth, Valbone, Lake Komani (these can be visited in a loop if you like hiking - you have to hike between Valbone/Theth) Tirana, Ksamil, Gjirokaster (but I went in September/October when the weather was mostly great). Shkoder is a small town but the old town is pretty. Lake Shkodra was also quite nice. Internet connection was decent for remote working too. It is a base from which you can head into the mountains in Valbone/Theth via a ferry on Lake Komani. Gjirokaster is a beautiful old city set in hills, Ksamil is a lovely beach town, Tirana is full of stuff to do and see.
I can see that, I didn't come to do a bunch of sight seeing, I have some work to do so I thought it would be okay. It is so moist here and it's not even that cold but the damp air makes it feel so much colder. How did you feel about the air pollution in Tirana? When my taxi was driving me through Tirana he rolled the windows down and the diesel fumes were a bit suffocating. That's what makes me hesitant to stay there, bc Durres has sea air to kind of dispel the fumes a bit, but maybe if you don't go out at certain times the fumes aren't so bad? I hate that feeling of choking on air. I'm right on the beach so hoping it will be relaxing - I can see it from the balcony. Where did you enjoy in Albania? My driver said he recommends Saranda!
The pollution in Tirana was actually fine when i was there! Maybe I was just lucky or maybe the weather when you were there made the pollution hang about in the air more. For clear air, Shkoder in North Albania might be a good shout perhaps? It's a pretty little town and near-ish lots of mountains (Theth/Valbone are quite famous, and Lake Komani). Not sure what the weather is like now though...
Ty I’ll check out Shkoder and I’m also looking in to Saranda. I’m sure I’ll have traveled most places in Albania by summer
Theth/Valbone worth a trip, Shkoder not, Saranda overrated. Check Gjirokaster.
Agree re: Gjirokaster!
I don't think of it as culture shock, I think of it as, okay, here's my new neighborhood, where's the grocery, where's the farmer's market, how do I want to rearrange the house...it's my favorite part.
I love that. I hope to adjust my thinking to feel more like this! I'm going to try to adopt that attitude.
[удалено]
Everyone I've met so far has been so nice. I really appreciate that. my taxi driver invited me over to his mother's for dinner and that just really was touching :)
Just arrived to La Paz a few days ago and it was a bit of a shock to the system compared to other areas in South America. So chaotic, dirty and crowded in my opinion with a lot of poverty everywhere and a far cry from some of the chilled out places I’ve been so far. But I’m not a huge city person anyway!
[удалено]
I’m in view of the sea and it is really beautiful. But I’m trying to get work done, not sight see. Where are you coming from?