Inspired by the Creator: Culture Shock...and Happy Birthday America!

How can you have "culture shock" moving into a place where you have lived the vast majority of your life? And -- how ironic that it happens on the day of your culture's birthday party??? What is "culture shock" anyways? According to Wikipedia:

Culture shock is the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, uncertainty, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown culture such as one may encounter in 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 a dislike for or even disgust (moral oraesthetical) with certain aspects of the new or different culture.

Also, Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. Re-entry Shock, or own culture shock^[7]) may take place — returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture.^[8] The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock.

Stage 1: The feeling of excitement and eagerness. This stage occurs before leaving to go to the new culture.
Stage 2: The feeling that everything in the new culture is great. This stage occurs upon arrival to the new culture.
Stage 3: The feeling of everything in the new culture is terrible.
Stage 4: The feeling of adjustment. The stage where the visitor begins to feel comfortable and takes steps to become more familiar with the culture.
Stage 5: The feeling that everything is fine. The stage where the visitor has adapted to the culture and in some ways is embracing it as their own.

I really feel like I am/have been experiencing all of this craziness! Today, well, maybe last night I entered into Stage 3. Yes, I miss Africa. I know that there is "bad" and "good" in all cultures, but for whatever reason, right now all I can see is the "bad" here and can only remember the good" there. I hope and pray that Wikipedia is right, and I will shortly move into stage 4. Jesus, help me, where I am weak - You are strong.

So, we left New Orleans - what a beautiful city! Full of culture and life - LOVED it - hope to be back again soon. Our last day we ate beignets at Cafe du Monde MMMMmmmm.....

Walked around the city a little more, through the flea markets, and then to NOMA.

NOMA was great - surprisingly beautiful and broad art collection. http://www.noma.org/

Then we headed East - looking to document the oil spill:

We were unsuccessful at locating ANY oil - although we did see some seaweed :) Then, we turned off of 10 to get Chick-fil-A for lunch - couldn't find it....but we did find....

Yes, it's the "Beau Rivage" in Biloxi, Mississippi - we couldn't help ourselves! Talk about culture shock :) We did "loose" some money - but not like you think - we bought coffee - and it was 4 dollars!!!! Ah!