"Returning home can feel alien and apprehensive when you've spent years living abroad. There's a reverse culture shock when your world-expanded self arrives back in a city you've known so well, and missed, but now see through a different lens."
"You miss the infrastructure, the convenience, the variety and, mostly, the people. Not just your close friends and family, but the general populace too: the shop staff who leave you alone, the fellow commuters who know not to make eye contact."
"London is not a city built for small talk or frivolity, it's true. But the helpfulness of Londoners pretending to mind their own business is something I came to truly value after experiencing real indifference in other cities."
"There is a different kind of social currency here: the knowing glance, the audible sigh during a shared disruption. Perhaps I am romanticising my hometown. But I'd like to think that there's still quiet connection to be found."
Returning to London after a decade in the US brings feelings of alienation and nostalgia. The experience of reverse culture shock reveals a changed perspective on familiar surroundings. The conveniences and people of London are missed, including the unique social interactions. While New Yorkers are seen as friendly and open, Londoners possess a different kind of helpfulness that may not be as overt. There is value in the subtle connections and shared experiences that characterize life in London, despite its reputation for being less sociable.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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