Back in the U.S. (Again)



FRIDAY, October 20, 1995.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to the United States! It's interviewing time again - this time for a job back in California. I'm a bit freaked out. I haven't been to my own country since December 20th of last year! What will it be like?

When I first got to Europe, I had to adapt to lots of little differences in the way things worked. Things differ within Europe from country to country, though as an American, I have a sense of what is generally "European." Though I still have an occasional "No fucking way, are they serious?" or "I have to wait how long? The next ice age?" reaction to the way things work here, I'm used to it and take most everything in stride. When I am visited by American friends and family, they are most definitely not adjusted to the European way and this is readily apparent to me. They complain that it's not the American way, and I know what they're talking about, but I no longer feel their discomfort. So I suspect that when I find myself back in the States that it will take me at least a few days to reaccept American Culture as the day-to-day norm instead of a memory. In no way have I become a European, but a year in Europe has definitely altered my perspective.


TUESDAY, October 31, 1995.

A year ago today was my last day at Taligent. So much has happened since then; it's hard to believe! My trip to California was fun, though extremely busy, and hopefully I will get a nice job offer or two out of it. I interviewed all day everyday for five consecutive days. It was exhausting. When not interviewing, I had a jam packed social schedule, visiting as many people as I could squeeze in. It was a blast to see friends and family that I hadn't seen in a year. I spent one Sunday afternoon hanging out with Dev at an outdoor concert in San Gregario. It was great. We had perfect, sunny, California weather, and just chilled out California style listening to the tunes. Afterward, we went for a walk on the beach. Everything was so beautiful, the smooth sand, the crashing of the waves, the cliffs going down along the coast. It was so unlike anything I'd seen in Europe. I used to live so close to the beach, but I rarely visited. You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.

As for American culture shock, it was easier than I expected. Everything was basically exactly the same as I'd left it. Things were just as I remembered, and in some ways, it seemed like I'd never left. The strangest thing I had to get used to was the fact that everyone around me was speaking American English. For the past year, anytime I heard American English being spoken, I'd found someone to go meet. For the first few days in California, my head kept spinning left and right, looking wherever I heard American English, until finally I got used to the fact that it was the norm.

Now, I'm back in Zurich, and I know that my time in Europe to moving towards its conclusion. Though as Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'till it's over."



Copyright 1997 by Bradley Edelman
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