Traveling to another country is always fraught with culture shock and differences, but it is expected and planned for. Coming back from other countries, however, can carry just as much adjustment as going to them, particularly if you don't immediately return to your home and routine. You have to readjust, not only to the fact that everyone speaks your native language now (so the nagging, subconscious mental command of "no english!" can finally be put to rest), but also to things that you've taken for granted in the past.
In my case, coming back to the east coast instead of the midwest is as much of a culture shock as leaving the country. Even when traveling within the US, there is a huge variation in the attitudes, outlooks on life, and general behaviors between regions. Having been subjected to the general rudeness of Russians for the past month, I had come to cherish my memories of Colorado friendliness; it was therefor a bit of a shock to come back to the Baltimore/ DC area and realize that the people here are at least as rude, but now I can understand their language, and there's no excuse of "oh, it's another culture!"
This didn't sit too well with me, and made me start thinking about other things I've taken for granted as "American" while I was in Russia. If I was wrong about friendliness, what else was I wrong about? A huge pet peeve of mine in Russia was the lack of clean bathrooms and general funk in the streets. Again, the Balt/ DC area is not a good comparison, though. While there are more bathrooms in heavily commercialized areas, once you get off the main drag, toilets are just as hard to find. In general, things are more clean, but people still litter, throw their cigarette butts out the window, and allow familiarity with their surroundings to make excuse for lack of cleanliness.
Another point of contention with me was the driving. In Russia, you get away with whatever you can, as long as there's not an actual collision. I was watching bus drivers squeak past badly-parked cars, creating three lanes on a two-lane road, and tailgating literally 5" away from the car in front of them and thinking, "Americans aren't this bad!" In a way, I was right: we have wider streets and roads that are planned for traffic, rather than building up on roads meant for horses and carriages. The attitude of drivers, however, is just as bad here as it is there. There is an absolute prevailing attitude of "I am the most important thing in the world, get out of my way!" I would know, I still fall into that now and then.
So what can I do about it? Well, for starters, I have calmed down my driving. This is helped by the fact that the car that Angel's family so graciously loaned to me shakes if I go over 60, so I tend not to. In having to slow down, I find that I'm less likely: 1) to hold a grudge against other drivers, 2) to view other drivers as "the enemy," 3) try to get ahead of everyone I possibly can, and 4) go absolutely nuts when someone isn't going quite as fast as I want them to. Instead, I'm driving under the influence of positive thinking, general generosity to my fellow man, and actually enjoying the trip, rather than seeing it as something to be gotten through as quickly as possible. Of course, it helps that I'm going to and from places I want to be, but still...
Anyhow, regardless of internal musings, I am incredibly glad to be back. I can drive myself where I want to go, I can do what I want to do (within reason), and I can eat real food that I know is healthy for me. I'm trying to resist the lure of the donut shops, and so far, have been successful. I only put on five pounds while I was over there eating bad food and getting no exercise, and I'm already working on getting that reversed, with walks at night and helping a friend de-clutter her house during the day. Life is once more good.
In my case, coming back to the east coast instead of the midwest is as much of a culture shock as leaving the country. Even when traveling within the US, there is a huge variation in the attitudes, outlooks on life, and general behaviors between regions. Having been subjected to the general rudeness of Russians for the past month, I had come to cherish my memories of Colorado friendliness; it was therefor a bit of a shock to come back to the Baltimore/ DC area and realize that the people here are at least as rude, but now I can understand their language, and there's no excuse of "oh, it's another culture!"
This didn't sit too well with me, and made me start thinking about other things I've taken for granted as "American" while I was in Russia. If I was wrong about friendliness, what else was I wrong about? A huge pet peeve of mine in Russia was the lack of clean bathrooms and general funk in the streets. Again, the Balt/ DC area is not a good comparison, though. While there are more bathrooms in heavily commercialized areas, once you get off the main drag, toilets are just as hard to find. In general, things are more clean, but people still litter, throw their cigarette butts out the window, and allow familiarity with their surroundings to make excuse for lack of cleanliness.
Another point of contention with me was the driving. In Russia, you get away with whatever you can, as long as there's not an actual collision. I was watching bus drivers squeak past badly-parked cars, creating three lanes on a two-lane road, and tailgating literally 5" away from the car in front of them and thinking, "Americans aren't this bad!" In a way, I was right: we have wider streets and roads that are planned for traffic, rather than building up on roads meant for horses and carriages. The attitude of drivers, however, is just as bad here as it is there. There is an absolute prevailing attitude of "I am the most important thing in the world, get out of my way!" I would know, I still fall into that now and then.
So what can I do about it? Well, for starters, I have calmed down my driving. This is helped by the fact that the car that Angel's family so graciously loaned to me shakes if I go over 60, so I tend not to. In having to slow down, I find that I'm less likely: 1) to hold a grudge against other drivers, 2) to view other drivers as "the enemy," 3) try to get ahead of everyone I possibly can, and 4) go absolutely nuts when someone isn't going quite as fast as I want them to. Instead, I'm driving under the influence of positive thinking, general generosity to my fellow man, and actually enjoying the trip, rather than seeing it as something to be gotten through as quickly as possible. Of course, it helps that I'm going to and from places I want to be, but still...
 |
| Or you could just slow down... |
Anyhow, regardless of internal musings, I am incredibly glad to be back. I can drive myself where I want to go, I can do what I want to do (within reason), and I can eat real food that I know is healthy for me. I'm trying to resist the lure of the donut shops, and so far, have been successful. I only put on five pounds while I was over there eating bad food and getting no exercise, and I'm already working on getting that reversed, with walks at night and helping a friend de-clutter her house during the day. Life is once more good.
No comments:
Post a Comment