Do it man. Seriously. I'm going to do it again. Maybe not for as long next time, buy the time month 9 rolled around I was a bit beat, but it is something I can never forget.
Yeah, reverse culture shock is definitely a thing. I went to Australia to visit a friend 2 weeks before coming home. I think this helped a lot since I was in a western country with expensive prices and English speakers everywhere, but I was still away from home. So this "transition country" helped. I think I would have been way more messed up coming straight back from Cambodia or Thailand to Calgary.
The way i'm dealing with reverse culture shock is being around people as much as I can. I'm hoping to move to the beltline on April 1, I need to be around some sort of stimulation and all my friends are there. I need to keep busy with things otherwise my mind will drift into how much I wish I was somewhere else.
Don't get me wrong, Calgary is a great city and i'm looking forward to spring and summer, but I know this city well. When you travel, no matter where you are, you see something you've never seen before. To go from that type of stimulation into a routine is hard.
I think starting fresh is the best way for me to approach Calgary. New apartment, new job, new surroundings. If I came back to my old apartment and slid right back into everything that was old, i'd be bored as hell.
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