Now you're BACK HOME, what changed for you and how are you adjusting ?
How asia changed you ?
How is your entourage responding to that ?

I was slightly bold already when i left my country for asia, but 13 years after i came back bolder with stronger self-confidence (no, not the one from the magic powder, thanks), and less care about protocols and "civilized manners of interacting" . I didn't became a cunt (as far as i can tell), but i shortcut the shit of everything, and when new in a team, i quickly put my limits around me and manage to get troublemakers to go fuck themselves just by taking their bullshit as alledged face-value and swiftly confront their contradictions until they back off. Also, i don't care about the consequences, social or else.

I was a factory manager, so, management and pro-active action to get the bullshit out of the production way + enquiries with not-telling-much people is pretty much the job.
So it does make sense for me, as an evolution. Although i'm less interested by the use of the needed strenghts from that previous experience of mine, my personality has shifted to more of it, want it or not.

It can create unneeded conflictual situations, but i'm fine with it.

I just went to a neighboring night project (the covering of a new turnaround with asphalt) just 200m of my house, just to make them stop the annoying klaxon that beeps every 30 fucking seconds, for coordination purpose beetween the truck of asphalt and the spreading machine. Now they use light signal instead of sonore signal, and i can sleep as well as the neighborhood since the driver shutted the fuck up. The guy was younger than me, and a bit paler when i left. I didn't even thought of NOT doing it. I believe it was just reasonable thinking and pragmatic decision-making. Or not ?

Also it's like i came back with the same age perception of myself as when i left. But upgraded somehow. Although it was physical and i'm more tired now, i'm even more energic when needed, and quieter the other times. So...a bit more extreme somehow.

Now that's a collateral effect with benefits for me on this one, but do you cope with some similar or related experience / feelings ?

After being back home for a few years I've realised I prefer Asia. I told a couple of friends here I was thinking about heading back overseas and got the expected comments about human rights, unsanitary conditions, standard of living, they all eat dog over there etc, and lectured to about how I'm much better off living in a 1st world country.
They're not 'wrong' but they've also never been anywhere other than maybe a 10 day package deal holiday to Fiji once, I can't even be bothered trying to explain something I barely understand myself to people who will never get it.

Asia changed me for the better IMO and I'm finding I have nothing in common with people I knew here before I left, I actually really dislike a few of them now.

Reverse culture shock is worse than culture shock for me.

I remember coming back from my first year-long stint abroad all full of stories, and learning very quickly that nobody gives a fuck, and things that haven’t changed are depressing, and things that have changed are also depressing. Ended up moving to a different town just to escape the sense of my life going in reverse.

Ghostwriter wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 3:27 am I was a factory manager..

Now i get it, Ghost.
Now i understand why Cambodia sent you mad and you vow to never come back ever ever again.

Cambodia would not be a life-enhancing location for anyone of that profession.
Just look at all those Chinese factory managers here - leaping off tall buildings or throwing themselves into the sea, en-mass.
The special pressures of being a factory manager in Cambodia.

Lucky you got out when you did.

Chatting to a friend on email who went back six months ago after 15 years here. He lasted one month in the UK (truck driving) and said the road system and life as a trucker is awful.
Whilst he earns reasonable money (£45k) the hours were long and he hated it.

On his week off he visited a Swedish friend who works way up north on the mines trucking. He rid with him for a week and loved it. He’s now moved to Sweden and is earning $80k and says it’s like night and day.
Winters will be severe but the roads and facilities are probably the best in the world.
His other friend does the same in Norway and is on $100k.