Moving to another country is an exciting adventure, but can be very frustrating sometimes, especially if coming with high expectations.

Not sure if you have read much about culture shock, ethnocentrism or the “acculturation curve”.
(Very, very interesting research field.)

The latter concept depicts a W-curve.
1st phase: Moving to another country: Everything is great, exciting. You are wearing your rosa sun glasses and everything evil and bad is blocked. You are having the time of your life.

2nd phase: It’s going down. All of the sudden daily routine kicks in. You start seeing things that you dislike (but successfully managed to ignore before) or differ in your culture. Btw, this happens after about 4-6 months!

3rd phase: It’s going up again. you have adopted to the new culture and surroundings. you have learned to deal with cultural differences. well done!

4th phase: moving home. oh no, it’s all going down again. being at home you feel how you greatly miss the other culture. all of the sudden people in your surrounding seem to be so backwards and lame…nothing exciting…you just want to go back. but wait, after a while you will appreciate your own culture again (guess, that would be the 5th phase then)

I experienced exactly the same when I went to the States for one year. In the beginning, everything was just great and awesome. I loved my new life so much and did not miss Germany nor family nor friends at all. But after about three or four months I became homesick, questioned the ’strange’ American behaviour and culture. After about six month that was all gone. I felt almost like an American and thought it was the greatest country ever. Going back to Germany was hard in the beginning. I felt like an alien because no one could actually understand what I had experienced back there. Everyone seemed so ‘uncool’, everything sucked big time. But I got over it and now have a balanced view on the American and German culture. Both have their pros & cons, but you won’t realize that until you have experienced both!

Btw, I found out about those concepts after my stay in the States. If I had known that before, I would have been much better prepared and would not have fallen in such a deep hole. Although this knowledge does not prevent such things happening, it greatly lessens the effect, because you know what is going on.

Dave, you are such a cool fellow…don’t change!