Reverse Culture Shock: From the Middle East to American College Life

After spending a semester abroad in Jordan, the time finally came for me to reenter into the American college lifestyle.  While I was abroad, I couldn’t help but notice how similar the two countries were.  Some of the similarities even took me by complete surprise and left me feeling pretty ridiculous, as though I had stereotypes of the Middle East which were oddly unfounded:  Of course there’s rain!  It just snowed last week!  The entire country isn’t a desert!  And even if it were, the desert is pretty damn cold!

However, oddly enough, now that I’m home, I’m noticing the differences between our cultures more than ever.  And I guess this is what people often refer to as Reverse Culture Shock.  Not that these differences can be categorized into “bad-versus-good.”  Some things are just different.

And now it’s time to readjust!  So to make light of an awkward situation, here are a few odd experiences in the clash between Jordanian and American college lifestyles:

1.        It’s okay to flush toilet paper!  In Jordan, people do not flush their toilet paper.  There’s a little wastebasket next to the toilets in which you throw it out after use.  Otherwise the toilet will clog.  And it will clog. No matter how little the amount you used, it will clog; and you will be embarrassed as hell.  Now that I can flush paper again, I have to actively remind myself to put it in the toilet bowl.

2.       It’s okay for a man to say “good morning” to you on the street! In Jordan, harassment is pretty consistent.  Sometimes it starts with something as simple as a man coming over and saying “Good morning.”  Yesterday, a student on campus held the door open for me on the way back to my dorm and said “good morning”….my first response was to blow right by him with my head high while thinking “what the hell does he want?”  Oops.

3.       It’s not okay to use the car horn as much as you want to.  In Jordan, there are many different ways of using a car horn.  If the light turns green, beep the horn to let everyone know.  Beep if you plan on overtaking the other car.  Beep if the road is narrow or you are coming around a sharp curve. Beeping is used to make people constantly aware of where you are in relation to their car…horns are always going off.  People living in Worcester might think they live in a noisy city…they don’t.

4.        Make sure you leave a tip…and stay in line!  There is no such thing as leaving a tip at the end of service in a restaurant in Jordan.  Because taxes are so high, people simply don’t leave gratuity. Also, the concept of “standing in a line” doesn’t exist.  You kind of just mosey your way on up to the counter, regardless of whether or not there were people in front of you.  That idea of forming a line and waiting for your turn accordingly doesn’t exist in most places.

Like I said earlier, these differences aren’t necessarily bad or good things. Not progressive versus backwards.  It’s just a different way of doing things.  And it helps if you have a sense of humor to get through it.