Well i’d heard of this so called reverse culture shock and remember letting out a large guffaw at the concept. How ridiculous!

Well that was BEFORE I got home!

The first thing I noticed when I got back to Sydney, after 4 months overseas, was how expensive Sydney is. Yes I know I’m stating the obvious but it really is ludicrously expensive. How on earth people afford to live in this city puzzles me.

The second thing I noticed is that hardly anyone smiles in Sydney. A smile is reciprocated with a look as if you are a total nutter! Now it may be that my goofy grin needs perfecting but myself and my best mate tested our smiles on numerous pedestrians with a resultant weird look or being completely ignored. Come on Sydney! Where is that spirit that we totally adore? It’s been a shock being confronted by an unsmiling city having experienced smile after smile in Cambodia. It’s been a real struggle to reconnect with what can sometimes be a soul-less city.

The third thing I noticed was feeling travel sickness – on the bus! and in a car! It’s never ever happened to me before so I can only assume all those months cycling everywhere have had their impact on my ability to sit in a fast moving vehicle, maneuvering sharp corners, at speeds over 10km/hour!

Finally, the most unexpected shock of all has been the weather and acclimatizing to the cold. I never seem to get warm enough. Even with 3/4 layers and a sloppy joe.

However, the positives of the shock of being back have been that I have a heightened awareness of everything around me. The first week or two I spent taking lots of photos in Sydney as if I was experiencing it for the first time. It’s nice to get reacquainted with Sydney and strengthen friendships with friends I haven’t seen in months.