Tololy's Box

Is it nostalgia? is it Longing for your homeland? is it missing the family atmosphere? Is it the fog? Is it the people driving on the right side of the street? Is it a shock ? Yes it is, it is a cultural shock. I know that you have been in & around too many different countries including the United States Of America. Notwithstanding, being there on vacation is a lot different than living in the country for an extended period of time, only then will you realize that there is something wrong in the picture. As time go by a lot of the of the anxiety will diminish and you will start feeling like any other London Denizen.

Nostalgia is a whole different issue Hatem. I think in this case what I was trying to express my astonishing (to myself) ability to block any reaction to a rather monumental event (moving to another country, fulfilling a dream, etc.) I was trying to pinch myself so to speak. I don’t have any form of cultural shock really, and that’s what’s made it possible for me to make that effortless transition. That’s what’s freaking me out actually: after so many years of struggling to do this, the actual move was so…seamless.

That what was surprising me a bit to be honest… you seemed like you were out of jail when you first left Amman!!
anyway, it’s better than feeling longing after all

Oh my! Same thing I felt sometime earlier! Do u think there should be a study on this issue?! I do not think so! For me the reason was the killing isolation that I thought was a blessing at the beginning, and the feeling of an embedding heart problem!

Or may be the secret is in the number four!

i never heard about london city centre! unless you live in a village

That’s really strange, Tololy! The only times that ever happened to me were when I traveled to Germany and the UK, and I think in both cases it was just because they were so similar to the US it didn’t really register I was in another country. When I was in East Asia by contrast I was always intensely aware that I was an outsider. Maybe it’s a testament to your ability to adapt

Not strange at all, in my opinion. You just described me to a tee. I will numb my feelings for weeks, months, and then suddenly realize that I have them, they are there, my reality has changed and I am not where I used to be (whether physically, geographically, mentally).
I’d love to know where this goes from here. Sometimes it’s a moment of clarity and it slowly goes away, other times it turns into an undercurrent that persists in the back of your mind and emotional state.