Reverse culture shock tips if you haven't lived in the U.S. for a really long time

[OMGImInPattaya]

Hot Springs S.D...pop. 4000...LGBT paradise ?

Is there even a Starbucks...let alone a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods?

Edited May 18, 2016 by OMGImInPattaya

[GinBoy2]

Hot Springs S.D...pop. 4000...LGBT paradise ?

Is there even a Starbucks...let alone a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods?

In no way was I suggesting that JT could blend into the cowboy culture, although that does open up a whole new realm of possibilities! LOL.

This was a purely personal musing. As for Starbucks, nearest one from Hot Springs is in Rapid City.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Hot Springs S.D...pop. 4000...LGBT paradise ?

Is there even a Starbucks...let alone a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods?

In no way was I suggesting that JT could blend into the cowboy culture, although that does open up a whole new realm of possibilities! LOL.

This was a purely personal musing. As for Starbucks, nearest one from Hot Springs is in Rapid City.

A pair of chaps, sans briefs, and cowboy boots and one should just fit right in with the locals ?

But agree, the scenery is stunning.

[Boon Mee]

^

Wanna bet the Winters suck bad though?

[GinBoy2]

^

Wanna bet the Winters suck bad though?

Oh Yeah, the winters are brutal, but quite beautiful in a freezing your balls off, kinda way

[Jingthing]

OK, we've done South Dakota now. Not really on topic except to people moving there.

[GinBoy2]

Aww, I'm still visualizing you in bare assed chaps and a cowboy hat! LOL

[GinBoy2]

One more thing to remember when you get home...Time!

People are actually punctual, well maybe with the exception of the cable guy!

But the Thai concept of 'soon' doesn't cut it, people will be where and when they say!

Alien Concept for Thailand

[NeverSure]

Good. But I don't see doing that now. A good tip for people planning to expatriate. Of course such loose rules are subject to change.

It's a good interim solution to keep your toe in the water. The reason S. Dakota does this is to collect all of the license fees on RV's and insurance biz for snowbirds. There are lots of RV's that return there for the summer, also spending money. I think it's smart of them. It's a good way for an expat to maintain residency, D/L and so on. There's on big RV campground and motel there called Your Best Address that will do mail forwarding, give you an address and even help you get a D/l. They have a big mobile park and a motel and campground and you can maintain residency easily.

[1BADDAT]

I just moved back to the US last week after 2 and a half years in Thailand. I went shopping for asian sauces today. I found that the Thai oyster sauce I used in Thailand was cheaper at an Asian grocery here. Would have never guessed that. Most annoying thing that has changed in the last 2 years is they ask you so many questions at the cash register at supermarkets etc. They try to get you to donate your change (round up to the nearest dollar). I find this highly irritating already.

I am loving the roads and finally driving a real car with power and features again. Gasoline is so cheap here now.

Yesterday I bought 8 bottles of wine that in thailand would have cost me $20 each. I got that and a bottle of jack daniels, a bottle of captain morgans, a 1.75 liter of kettle one, 1,400 grams of USDA choice ribeye steaks, 2-24 packs of soda, 4 pork chops, BBQ sauce, and a big bottle of ketchup. All of that cost me $160 so I bought the wine and everything else was free.

Having said all that I still miss Thailand very much. I hope your transition is a good one as I am finding mine difficult at least at first.

Edited May 27, 2016 by 1BADDAT

[Boon Mee]

One more thing to remember when you get home...Time!

People are actually punctual, well maybe with the exception of the cable guy!

But the Thai concept of 'soon' doesn't cut it, people will be where and when they say!

Alien Concept for Thailand

I'm used to it now...

[GinBoy2]

After just getting back from my road trip yesterday, I'm doubling down on my driving culture shock.

After driving 5000+ miles over the past 3 weeks in the US, returning to Thailand and driving home from the airport was a reverse culture shock in itself. I'd kinda forgotten how terrifying driving here really is!

Oh well couple days and I'm sure I'll be back to desensitized until my next trip back home!

[RamenRaven]

- Mean cops. Once in Thailand, I was with a friend who just drove right pass a police checkpoint with stopping, even though the police waved us down to check for something. Nothing happened. The police didn't follow us and it was as if nothing had happened! Now if this were in the US ... 4-5 Ford Victoria's would be following us, sirens blaring, guns and tasers pointed at us. We'd be slammed to the ground, handcuffed, taken to the county jail, booked, and careers ruined with a permanent record.

- Me at the USPS post office: "How many kilograms is that?" Post office lady: "Sir, we use pounds here."

- Me at the bank: "Can I get some US dollar bills?" Bank teller: "Sure no problem, I guess you mean $100 bills."

- Restaurant waiters using smartphones and tablets to take orders. Never seen that before!

- People getting extremely addicted to their smartphones. Their faces are pasted onto their phones everywhere they walk.

- Being about to walk and run around everywhere without being chased by dogs. Most of the time.

- Abnormally sterile streets. No street vendors! Hardly any pedestrians!

 

[RamenRaven]

The biggest reverse culture shock for me:

 

Every time I see a fat, balding, old white man, he is ALMOST ALWAYS with a white woman of nearly the same age, weight, and type of appearance. He might be with 2-3 children and a grandma too. A rare sight in Thailand.

 

Every time I see a middle-aged white guy, there is no short, dark Thai wife following him! What?!

 

Old Farangs are usually couples who haven't traveled outside the US except perhaps to a few Latin American countries on brief vacations. Grandpa and grandma look like George HW Bush and Barbara Bush, not Donald Trump and the Thai version of Melania Trump.

 

Farangs everywhere are 50% male, 50% female of all ages! How is that possible?

Why aren't all Farangs old balding men?

Why are so many Farang men skinny and working out?

Why are the younger ones not all wearing huge backpacks?

Where are the Brit and Aussie and German accents?

Why do they all suddenly appear to be normal sized and not like gigantic, brutish Neanderthal giants towering over 4-foot-tall Thai women?

Why are so many decent-looking men paired with mediocre-looking women, instead of vice versa?

What's going on?

 

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by RamenRaven

[amykat]

 

Most US cell plans are unlimited talk and text now.$40 to get unlimited talk, text and 1 GB of data. About $70+ for unlimited data.

Buy your phone or they will break the cost into 24 monthly payments and add it to the above.

Republic Wireless has talk and text unlimited plan for $15 ...almost 20 with all taxes for first phone.  Consumer Cellular has similar plans about $45 a month with reasonable data amount and taxes, can add second phone I think for $20.  Look around outside mainstream.  I have one plan of each and they work fine but I don’t need unlimited data.  They will up your plan in $5 increments if you go over up to unlimited plan so you don’t overpay every month just in case once in while you use a lot of data.

[amykat]

 

I am a bit surprised to hear your considering going back Nancy

Only because I know of all the good things you do here for others & I always thought you would be a permanent CM resident

But I totally get the possible reasons & after 4 years we are moving back ourselves.

For us it is a little easier as we kept our home there

But I just wanted to say for the repatriating of money..Usually no questions if amounts kept smaller

(some say under 50k USD) we have never tested it but have sent smaller amounts 10-15k USD via wire no problems

Will try again soon & report back if anything has changed

But also you know you can get a cashiers check in USD that does not get the scrutiny of flying with cash & need not be declared when flying afaik.

You can even certify mail it or dhl/fedex it back to your bank for deposit ahead of time

as the one drawback is it can take up to 45 days to clear at many US banks/credit unions

We once took one for 10k with us & that is what we found

So if sent ahead is clear by the time you return.

Anyways...just some options & good luck to you & your husband

 

Just an FYI ...I sent back my money to the US from BKK bank.  I failed when I tried exactly 50K the first time. Then lowered it to $45K or $48? and they let it go through a day later.  Then I would go back every 10 days or two weeks and send the same sized chunk for a period of time till I got down to the end.  I was really stressed about that as I can see others are, if it would work or not.  I did send myself all this money via BKK bank and within my account that had been open all those years ...about 14 years. But I don't think they really looked or cared.  I never worked here.  

 

I was thinking if I got to the end and last amount would not go, I would fly with a large amount of cash too.  I want to WARN people here, it was obvious I was moving/leaving Thailand forever when I flew out of the local small airport.  I had dogs, adopted child and lots of things.  I was last to go through security and immigration and had asked them to pre-clear me actually due to staying downstairs with my dogs.  A bunch of very odd things happened upstairs when no other passengers were there and I was detained for some very strange reasons and then my wallet went missing and my daughter saw who took it, she told me later ..well she saw him in my purse when I was doing their paperwork.  They got a LOT OF STUFF that was important to me. Luckily I had two wallets ...one with my dollars in it and one credit card!!  But I was thinking that I was a target and might have had $10,000 or more with me that day, as I have done in days past.  Or valuable jewelry but luckily also I moved that back before and mostly never brought here but kept in a bank in the US ...but they do now have the keys to that.

 

So I have avoided saying exactly what happened, for certain reasons, so you will have to guess.  But think twice about flying out with valuables.  I think they might know when you are moving and then suddenly you will be a target like you have not been before ...especially if you fly out at midnight on a certain popular flight to Korea.

[Katia]

 

Why are so many decent-looking men paired with mediocre-looking women, instead of vice versa?

 

I always see the opposite in the West-- lovely woman with a guy mediocre at best, or really goofy-looking or a total dog at worst.  And I just think, "Honey, I'm sure he's a very nice guy... but... I'm equally sure that somewhere out there is a very nice guy in a smokin' hot package, and it's not like you don't have the looks to score that."

[GinBoy2]

So, I'll give a Thai & farang perspective of going home.

 

My wife had lived in the US from her early teens until mid twenties. I'd moved to Asia, in various countries in my late thirties.

 

So after 10 years of being in Thailand, we got tired of it all, and decided to move back.

 

It was almost a relief in some ways, there are so many aspects of living in Thailand, where you have to suspend disbelief.

 

Of course nowhere is perfect, but we both slipped back into life in the US pretty easily. My wife got a job with the Dept of Defense, so she was happy, I was just, and hard to express, but the familiarity of everything was just nice, maybe thats a function of age, who knows. 

 

I'm not going to get into the relative cost thing, since that evokes a visceral response from some, but it works for us

 

We now enjoy a few months every year back in Thailand, but neither of us would ever regret moving back home