Reverse Culture Shock

I know it has taken me almost a month to finally reflect on coming back to reality, but a lot has been going on...transitioning back to the US, the South, Athens, and life as a PhD student. I will be honest my transition has not been the most graceful as I have dug my heels in a bit and resisted the adjustment. You see, there is a phenomenon called reverse culture shock. This is when you come back to your home country and feel out-of-place because of the amazing/transformational experience you had in a different culture while others at home are living the same life you left. You have a different lens and become more critical of the way life exists in the homeland. It is hard to share your experience because of a general lack of interest from others or a fear that others will see you as bragging. Now, you would think with all of my experiences living abroad that this "re-entry" would get easier. Wrong! The reverse culture shock still surfaces and makes me question life in the U.S. and how we live life. I also think that this time around was especially hard because I came back to a life that I do not absolutely LOVE. PhD life in Athens, Georgia is hard and not as exciting as living in a foreign country or in Colorado. But the good news is that I am settling in and finding my way through this transition.
Photo: Watson Mill Bridge, Georgia

Reflections on 2009

Top 12 Memorable Moments/Experiences of 2009:

1.) Rang in the New Year with my Colorado buddies in Breckenridge and reconnected with about 20 high school friends at a mini-reunion in Colorado. Go Raiders!

2.) Joined my father as he “flew South” like the retired snow bird that he is…we had quality time together as we road tripped to Arizona to visit family friends. My father bid farewell to me at the Phoenix airport as I flew back to Georgia to start the spring semester.

3.) Continued my cultural edification right here in Georgia with the Kite Festival at the BAPS temple in Atlanta, an authentic Southern step show, the amazing Whirling Dervishes, and a wicked drag show. All highlights of my spring semester.

4.) Experienced a winter wonderland in Athens on March 1, as a spring snow storm shut down the State, City, and University. We played in the snow like kids and watched students "shovel" snow with pots and pans.

5.) Taught and chaperoned the UGA at Costa Rica spring break program. Incredible campus right in the middle of the cloud forest.

6.) My sister and Dan attended my yoga teaching certification graduation at Shoshoni in Colorado. Namaste.

7.) A week in California allowed me to hang with my little kid brother in San Diego and attend the NAFSA conference.

8.) Was offered a graduate resident position with the UGA at Oxford program. To Oxford July-December. Woohoo, definitely the academic and personal highlight of 2009!

9.) Traveled and experienced many more European adventures with some of my favorite friends...Ali in Scotland, Kristi, Shane & Jason in Oslo, the Breccia's, Charlie, and Martina in Italy, and Preet in France. I love you all!

10.) Spent a week with my mom, dad, Julie & Dan in Oxford. More love...and lots of wine.

11.) Christmas time was memorable, as I reunited with Charlie, my family, friends, and one bad-ass Santa Clause. We had another Weimers holiday vacation in Winterpark, Colorado and I skied four days. Ahhhhh yeah!

PHOTOS: Taken in the Appalachian mountains in Georgia. The location where we rang in the new decade.

A Bridge to Athens, Georgia

Back to Athens! After an amazing six months in England and an entertaining holiday season in Colorado, it is time to get back to reality.

So, I packed up two fifty pound bags and headed South to the land of academia. A week before school/work resumed, we decided to explore Georgia nature at its finest. I was pleasantly surprised by our first adventure. We visited a state park known for the longest covered wooden bridge in Georgia, Watson Mill Bridge, circa 1885. While the surrounding area was brown and dull, the chill in the air put a little extra kick in our step and we went for a hike. Despite the beautiful blue skies and no snow on the ground, we were the only people on the trail, which we soon realized was a theme to Georgia trails in the winter.

A-Wicky-Wicky-Wack!

I will be the first to admit that my family is rather dramatic and animated year around. But at Christmas time you can only imagine how the heightened holiday energy plays out in Weimer fashion. This year a few new traditions were conceived including a new Christmas rap-off (everyone had to write lyrics, compose the music, and perform it in front of the family). The NEW Weimer Christmas rap-off was such a hit that my brother visited Dan's (Julie's fiance) recording studio to "lay it on wax".

View at your own Discretion: Santa Exposed!

I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Santa. It turns out that the tattooed Santa is taller, funnier, thinner, and a little more rogue than the Santa in my childhood dreams. But, he sure did bring joy to the Weimers, Russians, Walkers, and Lees household. Beware, this video may potentially crush all perfect fairy tale images of the real Santa.
View at your own discretion.

The Boulder Flatirons: A Winter Playground!

On our way from Winterpark to Julie & Dan's (my sister & fiance) home in Loveland, Colorado my brother & I made a stop at the lovely Flatiron mountains in Boulder, our old stomping grounds. It had snowed the day before, so the mountains were stunning under the blue sky. After it snows, the Flatirons, Chautauqua Park, becomes a winter playground with sledders, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, and trail runners. Even though we did not have our winter gear to enjoy the winter wonderland, we did have a camera and lens...which turned into an "action" photo shoot!

Weimers Christmas Retreat in Winterpark

The Weimers Christmas tradition goes like this: pack up the cars with ski gear, Santa hats, food, lots of wine, a few $5 gifts from the second-hand store, and drive up to the Rocky Mountains, Winterpark, for a good 'ol mountain retreat. Skiing, laughter, snow, joy, and traditions. A few years ago, we decided as a family, to forgo gift giving. I know we are not being good little American capitalists, especially during this economic downturn when the general sentiment on the street is to spend, spend, spend to stimulate the economy. After too many years of giving and receiving gifts that eventually showed up at second-hand stores, we decided it was time to stop consuming and find the true meaning of Christmas. Yes, almost as good as the Grinch's ah-ha moment in How the Grinch Stole Christmas:

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

So, through the years of no gift-giving we have implemented some fun traditions including an annual wine-tasting (complete with at least one cheap BOX of wine), a night of charades and spoons, and of course an

epic Christmas dinner. This year we added a few more traditions including a "rap-off" which consisted of writing lyrics and performing the "rap" for the family. Yes, we did agree to stimulate the economy a little bit with a frugal gift exchange: we had to buy a second-hand gift under $5 that the receiver could don with glee (see top photo). This year we also had a special guest appearance by Santa, himself (see bottom photo). He is one funny dude.

Divas' Ski Weekend!

The sassy and forever entertaining Ann Sullivan was my co-conspirator in taking care of that ski fix. In the a.m. I woke up to one of my favorite morning rituals: dressing in layers of ski gear, a stop off at Moes Bagels and Vic's Coffeehouse for ski grub, a 2-hour drive out of the front range and into the beautiful snowy mountains, mustering up energy to squeeze my large feet into the snug ski boots...celebrating with every micro-movement, throwing the skis over the shoulder and walking to catch the shuttle to the base of the mountain. Ah yeah! The ritual, in itself, is a beautiful waste of time. Being surrounded with like-minded, active, outdoorsy mountain freaks just adds to the beauty of the experience. Not to mention how amazing it feels to fly down the mountain.

We skied two days at Copper Mountain. Our friend, Christine, from Boulder county joined us for the overnight in Dillon and the second day of skiing. Good girlfriend fun all around...laughing as Ann got taken out (from the back end) twice, catching up on life, and revisiting past adventures.

Thanks Sully & Christine...for a lovely girls' weekend!

A Happy Hour in Boulder

My older sister is the BEST! She hosted a happy hour in Boulder at the posh St. Julien T-Zero bar with many of my favorite Colorado pals. Ah, hanging out with those friends that I have shared so many adventures with filled the soul with much love and positive vibes. I was quite honored that the Denver crew drove up and Christy & Jay, who just returned from three months on the Semester at Sea ship, joined us. The conversation jumped from memories of traveling in Peru, to re-living a few of our emergency search and rescue mountain hut trips, to wedding plans and yoga postures (see Lion's breath photo at bottom...go Brent!)


I love all of you mountain divas and dudes...and no matter how far away I am you are always in my heart!

Jingle Bell Run!

The day after I arrived in Colorado I was recruited to run the 5k Jingle Bell race in the beautifulwinter wonderland of Washington Park. My sea-level lungs got the best of me as I attempted to run a mile-high (5,280 ft.) Luckily, my little kid cousin, Schanell, inspired me to not only wear goofy reindeer antlers, but also sprint across the finish line. We were not the only crazy runners dressed up...we also saw Santa, a Christmas tree, a few elves, and Santa's reindeers.

A Week in Georgia to Adjust Back to the Motherland

Well, I have bittersweet feelings about being back in Georgia. Sweet, because I got to hang out with my man-friend, Charlie, and eat Ratatouille, watch movies, and just settle back into reality. Bitter, because I am back in Georgia...enough said.

And, of course I have another epic traveling tale that added to the bittersweet arrival. I know, SHOCKER! Originally, I was supposed to fly to Atlanta for a layover and then connect straight through to Colorado, but decided to stay one week in Georgia. I asked the airline if I could extend the stopover in Atlanta or cancel the leg to Colorado and they said it would cost $250. WTF?! Considering that I am parsimonious, I decided not to make changes to the original flight plan and simply jump off in Atlanta, grab my luggage, and forgo the leg to Colorado. However, Delta airlines had other plans for me. After going through customs, due to special security details in Atlanta, they re-collect all luggage...and my luggage had a tag to Colorado. I begged and pleaded with the Delta attendants and they were adamant about the airline "contract" I had bought...no luggage with Colorado tags can be claimed in Atlanta. Awesome, so my two 50-pound bags headed to Colorado without me. Luckily, I have all of my stuff stored in Athens...so, I was not completely "baggage-free". And, my parents were wonderful enough to collect my luggage in Colorado.

Inspiring Oxford Women

As I reflect on my time in Oxford, there were three women that made my visit even more enjoyable. I had the pleasure of being in the presence of three inspirational women. Each one of them is at a different places in their life, yet each one of them made a significant impact on me.

Meet Barbara. She is the "house mama" of the UGA Victorian house. She brightened my mornings everyday with her wise words and sharp British humor. You know she is friends with the Queen (in her dreams!) When either of us were traveling, she would send me sweet little text messages that were uplifting and thoughtful. The heart-to-heart conversations were the topping on the cake. Thanks Barbara for being a wonderful surrogate mom and friend. WOWSERS!

Meet Ingrid, my Oxford faculty don who I was fortunate enough to meet with every week in a graduate tutorial. She comes from a psychology background and is now interested in dimensions of academic mobility, specifically in the psychology field. Her mutual interest and strong support of my research agenda put a little extra wind in my sails. During my time working with her, we turned a paper I wrote into a publishable article. Lets see where it goes from here! Her direct, yet gentle, academic style made me realize that a woman can be a successful academic, while maintaining personal passions and caring relationships. Thanks Ingrid, for investing in my academic growth and encouraging me to keep going.

Meet Vassiliki. She is a young professor at the University of Sheffield and has been a great friend and mentor. I met her in 2006 in Oslo and have kept in touch since then. She invited me to speak in Dublin and was instrumental to my University of Sheffield visit, all the while challenging me to present my research ideas to others. Thanks Vassiliki, for giving me these opportunities and for all of your support.

Back to the Motherland Tomorrow...

Bittersweet.

It is hard to leave Oxford...and Europe. (A sick feeling in the stomach and all that.)

Yet, excited to see those that I love and adore.

Gluttony in Brussels: Chocolate, Glühwein, and Waffles!

I do love Brussels! And, this trip was a great way to spend my last weekend in Europe soaking up all the things I love about living here: public transportation, good food, good international conversation, and constant international stimulation. I met my Belgian friend, Marijke, for a night in the city centre where the Christmas markets brought the streets to life. The Grand Place, one of the stunning European squares named an UNESCO World Heritage Site, was all lit-up. The Town Hall was exceptionally spectacular as the lights changed colors with the fast-paced, hip music that the guest DJ spun. Over 200 wooden stalls decorated the streets as vendors sold handmade crafts, food, and drinks. It was a rainy evening, but we braved the wetness and enjoyed Glühwein (hot, mulled, spice wine), french fries, fried bread, and liquor. Oh, the gluttony of Brussels! The evening was a perfect chance to catch up with each other's life, as we had not seen each other for 1 1/2 years. That is what makes having international friends so bittersweet, you do not see each other for a long time and then when you see each other it is normally short and sweet. Before I knew it, the evening had come to an end and we did the typical Belgium farewell...a kiss on each side of the cheek and wished each other well.

EMA Meeting in Brussels: A table full of people from around the globe!

The European Commission has once again "hooked" me up with some free travel and international excitement. I was invited to represent the North American chapter of Erasmus Mundus alumni at an annual meeting in Brussels this past weekend. The meeting was for the Erasmus Mundus Student & Alumni Association (EMA) and we discussed everything from Chapter development to the goals and mission of the Association. Friday we met in the Madou Tower of the European Commission and I even had the pleasure of meeting the man, Vito Borrelli, a European Commission staff member who has been instrumental in the development of the Erasmus Mundus program. Here are a few moments to remember:

On Friday, I was in a packed elevator in the EC building and a European said, "The capacity says 16 people." Then, another European replied, "That means 16 Europeans and only 5 Americans." I tried to think of something witty on the spot and failed miserably as all I could muster up was a small laugh. Stereotypes are everywhere and unfortunately, there is some truth to this particular stereotype.

But, on a positive note as I was eating the delicious chocolate mousse at the Saturday dinner I looked around the dinner table and realized these are the moments I miss the most about living back in the U.S.: a table full of people from around the globe. I sat with my friends from Australia, Portugal, Pakistan, China, and Thailand. Dinner conversation just does not get any better than that!