Reverse Culture Shock...?

Look left then right!

When I left for England I had a lot of culture shocks.  I knew about many of them when I came over but it still surprised me because who doesn't put eggs in a cooler but on a shelf?  And why aren't there any proper hot dogs? Is it too much to ask for Ball Park hot dogs or Hebrew National?  Hot dog buns too maybe?  And what is up with burgers and KFC?  Oh no, that is so not chicken done right.  And then, of course, it took me ages to learn to look right then left when crossing the street.  I had to relearn how to cross the bloody street.

So yeah, there were a few shocks but, eventually, they became second nature and I didn't even notice them after a while.  But how have I managed since I have returned?

The very first thing I noticed was the size of the bottle of Diet Coke I got when I got off the plane in Seattle.  I am not used to seeing a 20 oz bottle of anything and lemme tell you, it is much larger than anything back in merrie olde England.  So are the cans of Diet Coke (12 oz is larger than a 331 ml can of soda).

I keep expecting to have these huge moments of reverse culture shock but they really aren't coming, perhaps the two cultures are too similar or maybe it's because I'm native to California and I was only gone for a little over a year.  And I'm not too sure how to feel about it.  Maybe it's a good thing, or maybe it's because you can take the girl out of California but you can't take the California out of the girl.

I must admit though that I am still looking right then left and I need to get out of that habit.  It's not a good idea when you're driving.  And I have gotten into the wrong lane to make a left hand turn but I caught myself before any cars came my way.  And I have picked up some British modes of speech that I was not aware of.  For example, I was speaking to a friend on the phone and I said, "... maybe we can meet up tuesday then ya?"  Apparently adding 'then ya' at the end of a sentence is not very American.  Who knew?

A New Week

One year, four months, three days, and twelve hours.

That's how long I was gone from CA before my return.  Not like I was counting or anything.

The hardest part is being away.  The journey dulls the sadness, the fatigue of making sure you get to your next flight on time, going through passport control and getting a bite to eat between flights shunts the sadness away until you're ready to deal with it.  This doesn't mean you won't cry on the plane, it just means you're not actively thinking about it.  Maybe.

It has been a week now since I have returned and it feels strange to say the least.  Before I left for England I kept thinking in four months this will have been the longest I've been away from home and now I find myself thinking that each minute is the longest I've been away from my Gunton.  We are by no means the first couple to have been separated for one reason or another nor do I delude myself in thinking that ours is the worst separation imaginable.  Knowing how hard it was for me to leave only made me aware just how hard it has to be for all those military wives to hold and kiss their husbands one last time, not sure if this is going to be the last time or if there is going to be a next time.

For all that we are separated by 5000 miles of ocean and landmass, I am able to stay in pretty much constant contact with him.  We skype and when we're not skyping I can send him an iMessage.  The only time we're truly apart is when he's asleep during my evening and when I am asleep during his morning and early afternoon.

So, a lot of people have been wondering what's the plan.  The plan is simple- kill the batman- no wait, wrong plan.  The plan is to return me to England to be with him.  While I am back home I will be trying to find a job.  This will allow me to save up some money so that when I am ready to return, I'll be able to bring Cooper with me.  I'll most likely be returning on a fiancée or spouse visa so I'll be bringing the dog with me, I wouldn't want to keep her in CA when I'll be gone so much longer than a year.  Gunton, on his end, gets to do the hard stuff- be able to meet the visa requirements.

No pressure darling.

I don't like being away from him, I don't like not being able to be with him whenever I want but I also understand that this isn't forever and we'll eventually be together again and I know that I could have it so much worse.