First off, what does “culture shock” mean?
Well according to the Urban Dictionary …
“The shock of moving from one culture to another often associated with laws, traditions, food, music and general lifestyle choices.”
Well, sorta, kinda.
According to Oxford Lnguages …
“The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life or set of attitudes.”
Uh huh.
And one more from Cambridge Dictionary …
“A feeling of confusion felt by someone visiting a country or place they do not know.”
Bingo!
That is exactly how I felt when I drove to the next city over to pick up a donation for the purse campaign I help with. I chose to take what I thought would be a less travelled route as our highway system is often over burdened and an easy 10 minute drive often turns into 45 minutes on the highway. Well, what an interesting drive it turned out to be.
The less travelled route that used to be a leisurely 2 lane highway is now 4 lanes in my city and 6 in the city I needed to travel to. What used to be farmland is now a continuous line of strip malls and mostly 4-6 story condo buildings. And in some cases the condos are 12-15 stories high.
What I didn’t see along the route was green space. I didn’t see farmland, parks or golf courses. I saw concrete and asphalt. If there was any green it was just between the buildings and malls, nothing where children could play or adults could walk. I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked that the city planners allowed this. Culture shock indeed. It was sad for me to see.
Until the next time.