Culture Shock??

[forHISglory]

Another thread made my mind wander on this a bit:

Have you ever moved and encountered culture shock? I'm not necessarily meaning that you move from one country to another (although it would certainly apply). But many times we never dream that just moving from one state to another would give culture shock. Or even just moving from one part of a state to another part of the same state!!

If you have encountered culture shock with a move, what struck you as different or odd or difficult? How did you handle it?

[WV_mom_of2]

When dh and I first got married he was a member of the fire dept. in his hometown area. He really wanted to stay in but the rules were that he had to live within certain limits to do that. I had a house that was paid for here but he REALLY wanted to move to his hometown so we did. The problem was, the only house we could find was in a sub-division. I am a country girl! I've lived on farms or in rural areas without neighbors close by my whole life.

We moved into this house and we had neighbors on both sides. Our homes were separated by a driveway and that was it! We had a row of houses across the one lane street and houses up the hill overlooking us! And they were ALL older people. I HATED it! The neighbors on one side had a little yappy dog that they tied out on their porch early every morning. Then they all left and the dog stayed there until around midnight barking all day and night! The neighbors on the other side loved to stare at us all the time. I would be out in the yard and turn around and there would be the old man standing in his yard staring me down. They also ran to dh's parents and reported everything we did LOL.

The people in this area were ALWAYS in a hurry and rude as all get out too. I come from a small town, rural area. Life is slow and easy here. When you drive you might have to slow down for a tractor or deer. Old men stop in the middle of main street to talk to someone crossing the street and you just wait until they move. In dh's hometown people tailgate you even if you are going the speed limit, honk their horns, fly you the bird, etc.

After a year and a half I told dh "I'm going home! Go with me or stay here, I don't care! But I'm taking the baby and I am going HOME!" We moved back up here to the country and have been here ever since. That city, subdivision life is NOT for me!

[dcompton]

Many years ago I moved from Texas to NYC. I hated it. Too many people, too much noise, everyone in a rush and mostly unfriendly. I just found it very unpleasant. After a year I moved to Toronto that was nice, until I was back in the South again, first back to Texas and then Louisiana.

[Syn D]

From Southern California to Iowa..

and from Iowa to Southern Missouri..

[frugalfranny]

Coming BACK to the states from Venezuela.

All the food in the stores. I didn't even realize I was truly in culture shock but I was just walking around in the store with someone saying "oh wow"...."oh wow"....truly in shock. (they informed me I must be in shock---and to shut up! )

In Venezuela.........if something wasn't selling or about to expire they just took everything else off the shelf so you had to buy it. Not much selection at all of anything!

[britbunny]

I am experiencing it as we speak!

We moved house at the end of March, we are still in the same county but we moved from a very small, industrial town to a smaller coastal town. The difference is amazing and it's taking time to get used to it.

There it was noisy, dirty, lots of people shouting and swearing, children running round out of control and lots of anti social behaviour. As for the town centre - you wouldn't choose to go for an evening out there for love nor money.

Here, it's quiet apart from the sound of the seagulls. People are very polite and pleasant, it's clean, the landscaping is beautiful and doesn't get vandalised as soon as something is planted.

The things I really notice though are all around what happens "after hours". In the old place the last 30 minutes before the shops closed there was a flurry of activity where store owners would bring in all the decorative plants, awnings and things like that. Here people leave the little bay trees outside the doors of the shops knowing they'll still be there in the morning. And the parks don't close. We went for a walk round the lake last night and it was still full of people, there were no wardens, no police and no huge iron gates to close. That would never happen where we used to live, people would be too afraid of vandalism or that the birds on the lake would be killed.

It's a different world and only 40 miles apart.

[mamamia]

I moved from NYC to Fl, and I cried....ALOT! I was used to people sitting outside on their stoops, and talking to each other. Here, there seems to be alot of tendency to keep to yourself. I miss the block parties in the summer, the awesome array of privately owned stores and restaurants, but mostly the people. When we 1st moved here, we wanted to get to know everyone from my hubby's job better, so we threw a 50s/60s dress-up party, with lots of food, and great music. In NY, nobody would be sitting at a party like that. But here not anybody wanted to dance, and I mean nobody. I never seen that before. But when I attended a wedding that had a great DJ, and the dance floor was empty, I knew then that no dancing is the norm here. Since then the parties I've been to have always been just sit around and talk and drink beer...lol! So you know what they say..."When in Rome, do as the Romans do"....and so it goes.

I can't say everything is so bad. It's clean, the schools are nice, and since moving here, we've gotten neighbors who seem intersted in getting to know each other a little more. But I still find it really funny that when someone in line at the store, or where ever else I could be, might start a conversation with me, I soon find out that they're either from NY or NJ...lol! Oh, and one other thing. My daughter had a cashier job for awhile in the supermarket. Sometimes she stayed till closing. There were only 2 men who would offer to walk her to her car....they were both from NY. A whole different set of rules from where I come from.

Of course there was the "accent barrier" and the different words for things. Like one time I had to make an emergency run to the convenience store to get one of the kids loose leaf paper (note-book paper), now in NY everybody calls it that. But the clerk obviously didn't, because much to my embarassment in front of my kids, he hands me a pack of rolling papers...lol!

But all in all I don't regret moving here (especially since the pizza has improved ). Because one thing's for sure..I wouldn't own a house, not like this one anyway, and I think it's great that kids can go out and play all year long w/o freezing their butts off..lol!

I'll always miss my NY. My heart is there, and that's never going to change. Remember, you can take the girl outta Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn outta the girl! How true, how true!

Good topic!

Theresa

[greekislandgirl]

I grew up on a farm (not a functioning farm, really, just a really big space with lots of trees and fields and no neighbors for miles). I lived there from birth until 17 years old. I've only lived in large cities since then (Washington DC, Rome, Athens, and Providence RI) until this year when I finally got to live in a small village on a tiny island.

For me the biggest culture shock was the country vs. city. Not changing countries. I think culture shock when you change countries is not such a big deal since most people in that situation already know that they're going to be changing their environment a lot so they are much more mentally prepared for it. When I first moved out of the US, I was pretty much expecting everything to be different, so it didn't bother me that it was.

City living drives me CRAZY. I grew up in a place where we didn't have to lock our doors, or even close our doors at all. We could yell and make tons of noise and play music as loud as it would go and no one cared. We could run around naked outside if we wanted to (not that we did, but we could). We ALWAYS had space, for anything. We had space for my dad's nine cars (he collected old broken down cars...). We had an attic, a basement, a cellar, three garages, four barns, a pantry, a coat room, a laundry room, and every room had a walk-in closet.

In cities, there's no SPACE. Other people are always loud and annoying. You have to share things. You can't control your electric bill because there are hall lights and outdoor lights that are shared throughout the building. You can't do whatever you want, whenever you want. You have nowhere to put ANYTHING.

I really really miss living in the country. I am living in a city of six million people right now and it is really exhausting. Thankfully we're moving back to our little island in a few weeks but even that is living in a town rather than completely out in the middle of nowhere, which is what I think I really want....

[Pemberleyan]

subdivision life is NOT for me!

That's me, too! I've lived in apartments and subdivision houses. I'm sure a lot of apartment and subdivision situations are really nice, but all it takes is one bad neighbor to ruin your life. I just love the privacy of living way out in the country away from any neighbors.

[riaketty]

My family moved from downtown Saint Louis, MO, to a small town of 800 people when I was 12. Every kid in that school knew each other, the graduating class was 60 kids. A year after we moved, we moved back to STL. I was seriously traumatized by living there.

Then I moved from STL to Cincinnati OH to be with hubby. That wasn't so much of a shock.

But THEN we moved from Cinci to where we are now, a small tourist town by a lake. B/c of what happened when I moved to a small town previously, I freaked. But now, 3 years later, i'm pretty much settled.

But the shock from city to town was HORRIBLE. The shock from state to state was pretty easy.

[druthb00]

We moved from the country in Indiana to St. Petersburg, FL at the beginning of Jan. this year. I nearly had a nervous breakdown the first night we were here. I think it was because of lack of sleep than anything else. We were driving the moving truck to the place we were to return it to and passing by all of the dirty little shops and houses crowded together, with several panhandlers and hookers on the street corners. That night it was a bit much for me. I later figured out that we were in a pretty rough neighborhood while dropping the truck off, and not everyplace in St. Pete is like that. It was just something I really wasn't used to. Living in the country you couldn't drive "block to block" and the whole neighborhood would suddenly transform either good or bad. Heck, you couldn't even drive one county to the next and have it change that drastically lol. Since that very first night down here, though, I've been fine.

[forHISglory]

I'm still adjusting after our move last September. The weather is a little different: spring comes later and winter comes earlier.

We were rather shocked by the lack of religion/church goers here. Of course, we came out of the Bible belt, but it's odd to me to live in a town where 95% of the people never go to church.

It's also odd to me to see a lack of desire for education. I was used to kids planning where to go to college, and adults going back to school or taking various classes. The town I moved to has the highest drop-out rate in the state (and the highest domestic abuse rate; suppose there is a link?).

I moved from an area of low unemployment to an area of high unemployment, and it's strange to see all the hopelessness because of it.

There's a big difference in hospitality, too. Down where we were from, folks invited each other to supper, or to have tea/coffee, or just met neighbors and talked. During the time we have lived here, one person has invited us to their home. So we just started inviting people into our home! They always seem to like to come, but it's strange to me not to have all the hospitality that we were used to.

Some language differences, too, such as "pop" instead of "soda".

[LeeCee]

moving from Queens ny to central florida

[mamamia]

moving from Queens ny to central florida

Where in Queens, LeeCee? I'm from Greenpoint and now Cen. Fl too, right next Mt. Dora. Do you know where Greenpoint is? We used to walk over a bridge and be in Long Island City. Or a different bridge, and be in Sunnyside. When we were teenagers, we'd hit White Castle over there. Loved them $.24 "belly bombs".

Sorry to go OT', FHG. I'll shut up now...lol!
Theresa

LeeCee, if you want, please PM me!

[shoiji]

I moved to WV to go to school. Did not realize how different things would be.

Then moved to Buffalo. Um, still different.

Finally moved back and have yet to move.

But if someone said I could live in Italy, have my own villa, and be financially secure I would go right this minute. I would be embracing all the culture shock and living it up.