According to Wikipedia, culture shock is:
a term used to describe the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with strong disgust (moral or aesthetical) about certain aspects of the new or different culture.
Because of the strong effect of culture shock, overseas work teams and/or mission groups do not typically visit another country for more than 2-3 weeks. After you have been away from your home culture for more than that amount of time, you begin to significantly sense the differences of the new culture and, oftentimes, will go into shock because of those cultural contrasts.
There is also what is referred to as reverse culture shock. This occurs when you return back to your home country after living in a foreign country for an extended period of time. Click here to visit a website that gives good information about this topic. Reading that web page may also help you to understand a little more of what we are mentally and emotionally feeling in these days of re-entry and cultural transition.
All that to say, out of all of us so far, Max and I think that our 4-year old, Jacob, might be dealing with culture shock the most. We have noticed strong mood swings, a greater level of misbehavior, frequent sickness, mean phrases being said to others, questions such as “How many days are we going to sleep in this house, Mommy?”, “When are we going to that other church again?”, etc. We began to realize that Jacob is the only one of us that never really knew this North American culture beforehand. His home country is Chile. All that is normal to him is chilean. In reality, he is just now being introduced to the culture that each of us became acquainted with for years before moving to Chile.
Thanks for your prayers for our precious, little Jacob as well as for the rest of us as the Lord continues to transition our hearts, souls, bodies, and minds to the culture we now call “home”.
Hebrews 11:9 (NIV) By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
Your turn to share: Which person in your family deals with change the hardest?
Sincerely, Kristin 
January 9, 2008 at 2:52 am
I really had to think for a while about what you have written. It was very informative. I admit that I had to laugh a little – did you see any “warts and all” on your family when you got back that you hadn’t noticed before?
Never having experienced culture shock myself, I appreciate your honesty about the struggles you all are having now. I will be praying for Jacob. I had the opportunity to get him a cup of punch and chat with him the other evening and I almost ate him up! He was hot and sweaty and only chatted until his punch was gone, at which point he handed his empty cup to me and was on the run again.
I am the person who has the hardest time with change in my family. I tend to become anxious and sometimes even feel depressed. In the last few years, I have become much better at getting to the heart of what about the change is bothering me so that I can take measures to help myself. This usually involves simply asking God to help me be patient and to seek his will for me in the midst of the change. It is always a comfort to me to know that no matter what is changing in my life, God will always be the same.
January 9, 2008 at 3:28 am
Kristin, we’re praying for all of you in your transition, now especially for Jacob. Marissa had a very hard time with adjusting to Chile and then Peru, and it mostly showed up in her behavior. I’ll be praying that you’ll know just the right balance to take with understanding and discipline, and especially for lots of patience.
January 9, 2008 at 12:23 pm
My heart goes out to Jacob and to the rest of you as you continue to adjust to life in the US. Jacob will definitely be in my prayers.
In our family, I had the hardest time with reverse culture shock. Moving to Mexico and adjusting to the different culture was a breeze when compared to the difficulties I experienced once we returned. We were in a new area, knew only Larry’s sister, had to find a church, etc., etc. Now seven months later, we are settled in and look forward to a short visit to Mexico next month.
January 9, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Praying for you all.
January 9, 2008 at 6:03 pm
With 7 residences in 2 1/2 years, I guess it’s not surprising that Jacob is asking how many nights you’ll be sleeping in this house. All of us at Edgewood hope it will be hundreds and hundreds!
Thank you so much for these blogs, Kristin. It is such a good way to get to know you and know how we can best pray for each other. I will be praying especially for Jacob and for strength and wisdom for you and Max as his parents. Here you are coping with your own reverse culture shock (not to mention new job, schools, neighborhood, doctors, dentist, donut shop(!), etc.), and at the same time have four children with different needs and personalities to guide and nurture through their individual adjustments. You can’t exactly put any of it on the back burner to deal with later. So, to the God who is able to do abundantly more than we could ask or even imagine, we lift you in prayer, and we give thanks for the wisdom he has already provided (which you might not be aware of but is obvious from what you just wrote!).
January 9, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I think I have the hardest time dealing with change. But as I get older, I tend to deal with change a little better than when I was younger.
January 10, 2008 at 8:45 am
With the Tourettes/ADHD/OCD gene in this house—change is not easy here!! 😉
The two who struggle most are in the midst of transitions ages 18-adult and 12-13. Tough ages for any—multiplied for them. Maintaining the stable base and reassuring is so critical.
January 10, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Praying for all of you as you continue to readjust to America.
My Aunt says her mom has a bull-headed stubborn streak. Unfortunately, quite a few inherited it so change does not go well for any of us. If I initiate the change it isn’t quite as bad. If change happens out of the blue, watch out because I won’t like it or be happy about it.
January 10, 2008 at 5:21 pm
this is so true!!! we’ve been living in New England (different culture) for seminary, and went home to Georgia for 3 weeks over the break…
i had no idea how to operate in the day-to-day hospitality of the south again.
blessings on your adjustment… err, RE-adjustment
January 12, 2008 at 9:51 am
I will keep you all in my prayers….thank you for praying for kari…she is in madrid…glad you are all back in the usa….where is the church max will be preaching at??