gsganzer
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2003
- Messages
- 4,256
- Location
- Denton, TX
- Tractor
- L3800 w/FEL and BH77, BX 2200 w/FEL and MMM
We're glad your home safe. Thanks for your sacrifice.
texasjohn said:Welcome back and Thanks!
Yep, everybody expects the culture shock when going to a different country and staying there for a while...
BUT, the surprise is all the culture/changes that occur while you are away for an extended time... an amazing amount of tiny things... the labels on various products, new signs in town, clothes are different, shoes different, slang changes, jokes sometimes don't make sense because you missed the event that everybody else knows about... and, these all add up to feeling like a "stranger in a strange land!"
texasjohn said:Yep, all these hit you at once... and are totally unexpected.
I'll bet that the next thing that hits you, if it hasn't already, is the "case of I almost know you!"
You'll catch a glimpse of someone, front, side, walking, sitting, whatever... and you will instantly "know" that person from where you have been and be increduluous that "they" are there. You will take a second and a third look and can just about convince yourself that it IS the person you knew... but there is about a 4% difference that is just enough to stop you from making a fool of yourself... I don't understand it... but it seems to be a factor in the genetic makeup of MAN. The same physical characteristics, walk, hair color, height, face shape, gestures, etc. seem to pop up in widely separated places on earth... at least that's what I've experienced on returning from a long stay away from the US.
It really leaves a funny feeling in the tummy when this happens.. and it happened to me a number of times.