Mind shift

Mind shift - preparing for the reverse culture shock.

Although many people might think that Britain and Australia have similar cultures and speak the same language, they would be wrong. Many times I've been having a conversation that suddenly comes to a halt as a word is used in a way I'm not used to. Or vice versa where I watch someone's face go blank halfway through my sentence.

I've become used to using 'capsicum' when I'm speaking of peppers, or 'zucchini' for courgettes, but it's still a deliberate thing for me. No doubt now my speech will be sprinkled with 'Australianisms' that I'll need to unlearn. Mostly those words that end in 'o' - arvo, rego - but also I'll need to speak of rotas not rosters.

And then there's the number of people and the height of the buildings and the quality of light. I like the space and the light here, but I won't miss having to put sunscreen on anytime I want to leave the house because the sun is trying to kill me.

Being aware that this culture shock is coming should help. I've read that it can take a year to get over it, so I'm preparing myself and giving myself time.