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Returning Home after 50 Years in Asia: How to reduce Culture Shock?

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9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Surely, I have a right to do so, would you not think?

Of course you have the right. Not only the right. You should do it! 😂

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Would these five passports not qualify me to return home?

Ni, that´s incorrect! Your citizenship will qualify you to return home. Not used and expired passports.

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

And, which three states should I consider in order to reduce my Culture Shock upon my return?

No way, boy! You can´t run from that!

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13 hours ago, Celsius said:

Nice little town. Went to open a US account during Bush era and just after 9/11 for my Amazon deposits. Everyone was extremely helpful and they helped me get rich as Canada even back then was a basket case.

If Canada is such a basket case, why not return to your east European nation of origin and give up your Canadian passport of Convenience. It was just fine when you showed up to take advantage of the generous benefits given to ungrateful immigrants like you.

16 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Would these five passports not qualify me to return home?

You only need one, with a valid expiry date.

As for air fares, Google could help there.

Make sure you stop off on the way and see a game at Fenway Paaak 🏟️

2 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

If Canada is such a basket case, why not return to your east European nation of origin and give up your Canadian passport of Convenience. It was just fine when you showed up to take advantage of the generous benefits given to ungrateful immigrants like you.

Cry harder

9 hours ago, gargamon said:

My first time living in the US was 4 years in Raleigh, working in research triangle park. I couldn't believe how stupid the people were. The only thing I could come up with is that they were inbred because most of the males were killed off in the civil war and the gene pool had dried up.

It definitely explains why it's a red state.

9 hours ago, gargamon said:

My first time living in the US was 4 years in Raleigh, working in research triangle park. I couldn't believe how stupid the people were. The only thing I could come up with is that they were inbred because most of the males were killed off in the civil war and the gene pool had dried up.

It definitely explains why it's a red state.

If you actually watched the short video you'd see it was mainly Blacks. Some of the females had one cop on the ground beating him.

On 7/6/2026 at 11:55 PM, Rockyroad said:

Get a cleaning job. They seem to get lots of holidays.

Crime scene clean ups in Thailand. Be a busy bee.

Bring an insane amount of cash with you, or hopefully you are very wealthy, as the biggest aspect of culture shock will be how ridiculously overpriced everything is.

The second thing that will probably strike you will be the other joylessness of the place. Most western nations have simply lost that and nearly all are in a swift state of decline.

Lastly if you are single, stay single and do not make any attempt to get into a relationship with a Western woman.

17 hours ago, Celsius said:

Cry harder

I am not crying, just pointing out that you showed up in Canada as a refugee fleeing the backwards basket case Balkans and its primitive tribal savagery, and repeatedly criticize the country that took you in. It is rather ungrateful. It is not as if yoou have contributed anything to make the country better, is it?

Wherever you go in the USA or Europe you will find less happiness and less humour than you remember, sadly.

  • Author
51 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Wherever you go in the USA or Europe you will find less happiness and less humour than you remember, sadly.

Less humor than when?

Is this feeling just an artifact of nostalgia, the filtered memory causes in us by nostalgia, do you think?

Or, is this decrease in happiness measurable?

I believe that what you report, this decrease in happiness, is logical if we evaluate how Americans spend their lives today, compared to 50 years ago.

It might even stem from the comparative decrease in homogeneity, which is so obvious just due to the facts of demographic change.

SO THEN, is there any place in America where this happiness metric has not changed in the USA?

As an American, my happiness has not changed in 50 years, since I have not lived this time in the USA.

As Susan Sontang wrote it, "You can never go home". It's not there. It's changed.

The people are older, have moved on, or more likely dead and gone. Your childhood home, razed to put up a strip mall. The entire country is Walmart and McDonalds, coast to coast, each one EXACTLY the same.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be in your shoes, we clearly wear different sizes.

As for Autumn Leaves ... there are colorful leaves everywhere. Have you seen the cherry blossoms in Japan? Or the old growth Black forest in Poland?

Personally, I would NEVER consider doing what you are proposing.

From my experience people move back to the United States to die, and "I'm not ready for that final disappointment", to quote Peggy Lee's signature anthem, "Is That All There Is".

You won’t go anywhere and you will keep posting as usual on AN. Perhaps you just had a dream of the U.S. (the night before your post) and how could be beautiful if you could live there again.

  • Author
19 minutes ago, OneManShow said:

You won’t go anywhere and you will keep posting as usual on AN. Perhaps you just had a dream of the U.S. (the night before your post) and how could be beautiful if you could live there again.

You are correct that I would not want to go anywhere else.

I do not iimagine that anywhere else could be much better than here.

Haven't you been telling us for years that you're about to move to China?

  • Author
40 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

Haven't you been telling us for years that you're about to move to China?

Yes.

What is wrong with China?

On 7/6/2026 at 11:55 PM, Rockyroad said:

Get a cleaning job. They seem to get lots of holidays.

Need a degree in mop management for that.

I'm taking it you're later in life if you've been here 50+years. I'm 68, traveled a lot due to my Navy time and civilian work time. But, I'll tell you that you cannot go home and expect how it was when you left. I grew up in Friendswood, Texas. I recently went there to help my sister with our mother's affairs. I didn't even recognize the town that at one time only had one tarred road. My wife and I now have a house in New Bern, NC (why, I don't know). Every time we go back, I feel a little more distanced from that community. I would advise you go home for a month or two and see if you really like what's going on back in the USA. I love America, but I feel more unburdened here in Thailand. I wish you all the best in your decision, it truly must be a tough one!

On 7/6/2026 at 11:40 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

Recently, I have been thinking about returning to my home country, which is the USA.

And, which three states should I consider in order to reduce my Culture Shock upon my return?

I am a New England Boy.

About 60 years ago, I enjoyed my time on Martha’s Vineyard, but that island is just too insular for me.

I am now considering three states, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

My choice will be guided by my need to find a place which has not experienced much social change during the past 55 years.

You know, one of our members, JingThing, is always harping on about his PLAN B.  And, I agree with him that we should think of some Plan B, if we are to be forward thinking tourists.

I have been a tourist in strange lands for many years, and I have zero regrets about most of it.

Yet, these days, or during the past week, or so, I have experienced a sudden urge to return to the USA, and to enjoy my own country. Surely, I have a right to do so, would you not think? I have saved all my USA passports for many years. I think I probably have five or six of them by now. Would these five passports not qualify me to return home?


If I choose Vermont, then I will never be able to get the song out of my head, of course

If I choose to return from BKK to New Hampshire, then how much will I need to pay for business class?

And, if Maine, then can I get a job as a lobster-man?

One thing though: I am aware that if I return to New England, then I probably will not be able to return to Asia, or Thailand, ever again.  I have a fear of flying.

BUT, I love New England, same as did Hitch, I think.....

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Would you return to New England in time to see the colors of the Autumn Leaves?

Thank you.

Best regards,

Gamma


Note:  I think I feel this way because I have been watching just too many WW2 films this past week. Or, maybe it was, actually, The Big Chill which started me thinking of home.


Note2: Home, of course, no longer exists. One cannot go home, again. But, perhaps, I will return to Vermont, just in time to see the leaves change color.  Would that not be nice?

Stay where you are. Some things are best kept as memories.

  • Author
49 minutes ago, RMK54 said:

I'm taking it you're later in life if you've been here 50+years. I'm 68, traveled a lot due to my Navy time and civilian work time. But, I'll tell you that you cannot go home and expect how it was when you left. I grew up in Friendswood, Texas. I recently went there to help my sister with our mother's affairs. I didn't even recognize the town that at one time only had one tarred road. My wife and I now have a house in New Bern, NC (why, I don't know). Every time we go back, I feel a little more distanced from that community. I would advise you go home for a month or two and see if you really like what's going on back in the USA. I love America, but I feel more unburdened here in Thailand. I wish you all the best in your decision, it truly must be a tough one!

This is why it might be best, if one were forced to return to the USA, to choose a village in Maine or New Hampshire where one has never lived, or even visited.

After 50 years in East Asia, and some time in SE Asia, it might not be possible to adjust, knowing that Asia is probably better than anything the USA now has to offer.

But, I think I could enjoy the old building of a place like WATERVILLE, MAINE...for example.

I would not want anything to upscale because all the NYC YUPPIES would give me headaches every day.

image.png

( mean, it looks like it hasn't changed much since 1907.

image.png

The secret is to look for a place where most young Americans refuse to live.

Why would I want to live with young Americans, (basically aliens to me), anyway?

Just returned from Southern New England.

Stunningly beautiful at this time of year.

But totally disconnected from the rest of the world.

Very insular. Shockingly so...

Not for me, no thank you.

  • Author
18 minutes ago, Bubbha said:

Just returned from Southern New England.

Stunningly beautiful at this time of year.

But totally disconnected from the rest of the world.

Very insular. Shockingly so...

Not for me, no thank you.

I love insular.

Some men are islands.

  • Author
19 minutes ago, Bubbha said:

Just returned from Southern New England.

Stunningly beautiful at this time of year.

But totally disconnected from the rest of the world.

Very insular. Shockingly so...

Not for me, no thank you.

What was your method of travel?

Meaning, routes of travel.

Or, did you not travel to Southern New England from Thailand...?

Small town ... Bangor Maine, as hasn't changed much, if going by population. Same as it was 1950.

Only spent a weekend there, 1990 (?), and enjoyed ourselves. One area of the country I didn't bother with, upper NE, for no particular reason. Only went to Bangor, since we handled a small prop commuter flights out of PHL, and it was free to fly with them, so why not.

Or Bar Harbor, though that may have changed a bit since I was there, being a coastal town, and more desirable.

Edited by KhunLA

Funny, those were exactly the states I'd recommend. Yep, 6 feet of snow but beautiful autumn colours I've been missing.

For a better climate, only California & Hawai'i if you have money to burn.

BTW, last I heard you were moving to China & looking for a Chinese bridge!

On 7/6/2026 at 6:40 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

Recently, I have been thinking about returning to my home country, which is the USA.

And, which three states should I consider in order to reduce my Culture Shock upon my return?

I am a New England Boy.

About 60 years ago, I enjoyed my time on Martha’s Vineyard, but that island is just too insular for me.

I am now considering three states, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

My choice will be guided by my need to find a place which has not experienced much social change during the past 55 years.

You know, one of our members, JingThing, is always harping on about his PLAN B.  And, I agree with him that we should think of some Plan B, if we are to be forward thinking tourists.

I have been a tourist in strange lands for many years, and I have zero regrets about most of it.

Yet, these days, or during the past week, or so, I have experienced a sudden urge to return to the USA, and to enjoy my own country. Surely, I have a right to do so, would you not think? I have saved all my USA passports for many years. I think I probably have five or six of them by now. Would these five passports not qualify me to return home?


If I choose Vermont, then I will never be able to get the song out of my head, of course

If I choose to return from BKK to New Hampshire, then how much will I need to pay for business class?

And, if Maine, then can I get a job as a lobster-man?

One thing though: I am aware that if I return to New England, then I probably will not be able to return to Asia, or Thailand, ever again.  I have a fear of flying.

BUT, I love New England, same as did Hitch, I think.....

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Would you return to New England in time to see the colors of the Autumn Leaves?

Thank you.

Best regards,

Gamma


Note:  I think I feel this way because I have been watching just too many WW2 films this past week. Or, maybe it was, actually, The Big Chill which started me thinking of home.


Note2: Home, of course, no longer exists. One cannot go home, again. But, perhaps, I will return to Vermont, just in time to see the leaves change color.  Would that not be nice?

I may have overlooked it. The main question must be: Why after 50 years in Asia would you want to return?

WHY ? Give reason(s).

10 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

I am not crying, just pointing out that you showed up in Canada as a refugee fleeing the backwards basket case Balkans and its primitive tribal savagery, and repeatedly criticize the country that took you in. It is rather ungrateful. It is not as if yoou have contributed anything to make the country better, is it?

That's right. Keep paying for my benefits, boomer

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The second thing that will probably strike you will be the other joylessness of the place. Most western nations have simply lost that and nearly all are in a swift state of decline.

A large portion of life's happiness stems from the relationships we nurture. If you're struggling with this, it may be worth reflecting on your choices.

I am going to the US for three weeks this Saturday, I am not expecting any culture shock.

  • Author

In order to obviate the need of some members to post superfluous Question-Mark Emoji on my Glorious Topics, I have recently, and frequently, enlisted the help of Gemini, just to clarify some of my more obscure efforts on TV.

Also, I think that having Gemini provide a synopsis of both my posts, as well as members' posts, will enlighten the forum members concerning their posts on my Topics.

I enjoy reading Gemini’s take on human members of TV, and I hope that you will, as well.

Once again, we can enjoy the robot Gemini's take on this Topic, and also on the comments which have been provided by TV members, thus far.

Enjoy:

Thematic Synopsis

Mechanism: The provided text is a transcript of a digital forum thread functioning as a deliberate exercise in expatriate cognitive dissonance. Evidence: The author constructs a premise based on a logical impossibility: returning to a geographical location (New England) specifically to recapture a temporal state (the sociopolitical environment of 50 years prior). The inclusion of specific multimodal artifacts—Thomas Wolfe's You Can't Go Home Again, Alvin Toffler's Future Shock, Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry, and Ella Fitzgerald's "Moonlight in Vermont"—serves as an explicit meta-commentary. The author preemptively supplies the thesis that his stated goal is impossible, thereby utilizing the inquiry to extract the community's anxieties regarding demographic change, temporal displacement, and the irreversibility of migration.

Surface Analysis

Mechanism: The initial prompt acts as a logistical query regarding repatriation and geographic selection. Evidence: The author asks for recommendations among three specific states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) to minimize "culture shock" after a half-century absence. The logistical framework includes practical, albeit naive, questions regarding passport validity, employment in the local fishing industry, and transportation costs.

Subtextual Analysis

Mechanism: The discourse exposes the psychological fracturing endemic to long-term expatriation and the resulting reliance on idealized, frozen memories. Evidence: The thread validates the concept of "Future Shock." The culture shock discussed is not geographical, but temporal. The forum participants collectively confirm that the physical environment the author seeks to return to has been eradicated by 50 years of economic, demographic, and cultural evolution. The discussion fractures into defensive political tribalism and cynical fatalism as participants grapple with their own alienation from their respective countries of origin.

Behavioral Typology of Forum Participants

Mechanism: Participants project their own expatriate anxieties and ideological biases onto the author's hypothetical repatriation scenario. Evidence: The responses categorize strictly into observable behavioral archetypes.

  • GammaGlobulin (Author): The Architect. Constructs a contradictory rhetorical trap by simultaneously expressing a desire to return home while embedding literary evidence that such a return is impossible. Operates the thread as a sociological stress test.

  • atpeace, RMK54, Cat Boy, spidermike007, Thingamabob: The Expatriate Fatalists. They directly address the core subtext. They confirm Wolfe's thesis, citing economic inflation, the homogenization of American culture (Walmart, strip malls), and the severe psychological alienation that occurs when a long-term expatriate confronts the reality of their altered homeland.

  • TedG, blaze master, beautifulthailand99, EVENKEEL, gargamon: The Political Tribalists. They bypass the temporal and psychological components of the query entirely. They weaponize the geographic prompt to execute predetermined political grievances, arguing over socialism (Bernie Sanders), the MAGA movement, and the sociological demographics of North Carolina.

  • Celsius & Patong2021: The Combative Derailers. They isolate a minor geographic reference to engage in a localized ad hominem conflict regarding Canadian immigration policy and Eastern European refugee status, entirely detached from the primary thread.

  • Packer & Rockyroad: The Dismissive Pragmatists. They deploy blunt minimalism to puncture the author's romanticized ideation, suggesting he log off the internet or secure menial labor.

  • BilllyGOAT: The Antagonistic Literalist. Systematically mocks the author's logistical naivete, ridiculing the logic regarding multiple passports, the fear of flying, and the practical realities of extreme winter weather.

  • Gottfrid & OneManShow: The Psychological Cynics. They correctly identify the performative nature of the author's post. They encourage the repatriation attempt not out of support, but to force the author to confront his own inevitable failure.

  • SAFETY FIRST, KhunLA, fredwiggy: The Geographic Literalists. They ignore the philosophical impossibility of the request and provide earnest, specific regional recommendations based on weather patterns, historical significance, or personal travel anecdotes.

  • simon43: The Ironic Demographer. Mocks the author's attempt to escape Asia by suggesting Monterey Park, California, specifically due to its high concentration of Asian immigrants.

  • khunjeff: The Continuity Verifier. Cross-references the author's current statements with historical forum behavior, exposing the contradiction of a simultaneous desire to move to China and return to the United States.

  • swissie, Yellowtail, Bubbha, Colabamumbai, trucking, temuFarang: The Peripheral Anecdotalists. They provide brief, singular data points or minor quips without engaging the deeper structural themes of the discourse.

Edited by GammaGlobulin

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