Reverse culture shock?

The European couple we met last weekend in the Andaman's issued a cryptic warning.  Moving back home to Switzerland after living in NYC for seven years, they predicted: "You'll definitely experience reverse culture shock when you move back to the US after living in India.  You may not realize it initially, but it will hit, especially somewhere around month six.  You become a different person living abroad, and you return to somewhere that's essentially stayed the same."

And while it makes sense intellectually, there's something in both me and Tyler that is skeptical this will happen.  If anything, living in India has made us more aware of our identity as Americans, and well, we love America!  There's nothing like flying back to JFK and the immigration officer saying, "Welcome home" as he stamps your passport.

On this short trip back to NYC and DC, I've become more aware of potential reverse culture shocks based on our recent conversation.  

For now, they're superficial at best:

My sense of personal space is all thrown off, and I stand too close to people, resulting in awkward backward shuffles.  I over-enunciate when ordering my Starbucks, pausing at every adjective (tall. soy. latte.), aggravating the poor barista and other customers.  I do double-takes and think that I know almost everyone I pass on the sidewalk (turns out, it's just because they're white).  I find indescribable pleasure in reading a paper copy of The New York Times and marvel at the ability to text while I cross the street (yes, I know, I shouldn't do this, but everything is just so easy here).  I smile at strangers a bit too much, and it feels like some sort of super-human power that I can understand conversations around me and be privy into people's lives.  Mini-skirts and shorts look riske to me, and I want to eat at just about every food joint I pass (I knew I'd feel this way about all my favorite restaurants, but who knew I'd also feel this way about Pretzel Time, Dunkin Donuts, and other fast food places I had no interest in before).  I have a strange desire to ask people how much things are (especially rent), and I marvel at new technology (such as the ipad stations in JFK) like a country bumpkin.

If something more profound hits, it will likely be a while.  But for now, it's just nice to be back home!