• Honeymoon Phase
• Negotiation Phase
• Adjustment Phase
• Reverse Culture Shock

As a teenager, I lived with a family and went to high school in the US for a year. I experienced some culture shock, so before our first move to the UK in 1991, my wife and I discussed how culture shock might affect us. Speaking for myself, I certainly went through the “honeymoon phase” were I regarded many (most?) things about the UK as wonderful. The “negotiation phase” is supposed to be the part where you find you dislike the country you are in and everything back home is much better. That happened to me when I was in the US, but it didn’t happen to me during that first stay in the UK. I went straight from the “honeymoon phase” to the “adjustment phase”.

Reverse Culture Shock

you are not supposed to find it difficult to return to your native country, are you?

When we returned however, we experienced what I have always called “reverse culture shock”. I always thought it was something only my wife and I had ever had because it seemed so ridiculous to experience culture shock when coming back to your native country. But it is on the list of the different phases of culture shock in the Wikipedia article. Our thoughts on returning to Denmark after 6 years in the UK were that Denmark had changed a lot while we were away. After some time the realisation came that maybe we had probably changed more than Denmark. Whatever it was, it was not easy to deal with because it was so unexpected. I mean, you are not supposed to find it difficult to return to your native country, are you? At least we thought it shouldn’t be. The reverse culture shock has certainly been one of the motivating factors in our decision to move back to the UK.

Second Time

I was however somewhat concerned that after being back in 9 years in Denmark and still not feeling completely settled back in. Would we be disappointed upon moving to the UK again? Where we seeing the UK through rose-tinted glasses? So what was it like the second time? Not sure, I don’t think my experience this time fits neatly into the phases above. I think I’ve been somewhat sad that we didn’t adjust properly back to life in Denmark. There are aspects of Denmark and life in Denmark that I miss more than last time. But it was an informed choice and overall I am satisfied with our decision.

We have met another Danish family here who went through the same experience of living in the UK for some years, moving back to Denmark and not settling back in and finally returning to the UK and with no plans to move back to Denmark again.