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Good Neighbor Travel Insurance Blog

Returning to the U.S.? Help for Readjusting to Your “Home” culture.

March 20, 2013 By : Doug Gulleson

So you are coming back home to the states! You have lived overseas for over a year, likely 3-10 years, and are heading to the good ‘ol U.S.  Maybe you were like me where your parents were overseas for over 30 years and you were born and raised in another country. I was, in Indonesia!  I came back to the U.S. at age 19.  My dad hails from Washington State with an almost pure Norwegian heritage (great grandpa came from Norway). Mom hails from New Mexico where her family’s heritage comes from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.  Well, no matter how long you have been out of the U.S. life has changed and actually more changes than you can imagine.

How do you cope with the changes? Well, for me it was two steps forward, and a bunch of times, three steps back. It was tough. No kidding! I did not actually feel like an American till I was 30. Yes, 11 years later. I know many have become “Americanized” a lot sooner than I did. But still it isn’t easy, right?

At times you might think the U.S. is still in the stone ages. You may have used your cell phone to purchase snacks and drinks by holding it next to a “reader” on the machine. Or it might be where the U.S. is light years away where internet is literally “high-speed” and not “slow speed.” No matter what, you will go through changes, pulling your hair out at times, and a bit frustrated. You may even have a puzzled look on your face when you find out that your American friends think “south of the border” means the South and North Carolina line and not a border next to another country. This actually happened to me! I was so excited to think that I was able to use my passport so soon and then totally disheartened when I had to kiss my passport goodbye, for now, and place her back in her special folder marked “traveling soon but not soon enough.”

Now I get to reunite with my passport two times a year as I travel the globe for great scuba diving as well as meet up with our Good Neighbor Insurance staff in Indonesia.  But I still love the words the immigration officers say at the San Francisco and LA airports, “Welcome home, Mr. Gulleson!” Yes, America is my new home and how I love her!

Here is a great article off of CNN’s web site about handling the basics of making your U.S. coming home time as easy as possible:

Depending on how long you’ve been abroad, your transition back to the United States could be as stressful — perhaps even more so — as your initial expatriation.  When you arrived in your foreign home, you likely had to undergo an understandable period of culture adjustment.  What you may not expect is the inverse upon your return; the expectation of the familiar derailed by the degree to which things have changed.

Please click here for the full article on http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/usa/ultimate-checklist-returning-us-expats-919371

Doug Gulleson

Search Results

Vaccine and booster shot precautions as you travel outside the United States

July 6, 2011

Good Neighbor Insurance (www.gninsurance.com and www.gninsurance.com) agents understand the importance of making sure all health precautions are taken care of prior going overseas.  I, myself, go overseas at least two times a year to far off lands to scuba dive and I too have to make sure all my shots are up-to-date and take those […]

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“Must-have” travel items for 2018 – Our best travel gear recommendations

November 29, 2017

Absolute “must-have” travel items for 2018: New travel gear you’ll want to pack in your bag in 2018 No “click-bait,” numbered page slide shows here (where you have to visit 20 pages in turn to see all the recommendations)! All our gear recommendations are on one page, all easy-to-read, no-nonsense suggestions for yourself, or ready […]

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UPDATE: REAL ID for travelers

January 10, 2017

Myth or reality? In one year the TSA will no longer accept your driver’s license to board planes: AN UPDATE ON REAL ID FOR TRAVEL (and restrictions on travel without a new license) By January 22, 2018, anyone from a non-compliant state (that has not received an extension) will not be able to use their […]

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The Best, Most Important Travel Apps for your Smartphone?

July 11, 2014

Check out our recommendations at https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/essential-travel-apps/ Not a day goes by but someone publishes another TOP 20 Travel Apps List or “Best Travel Apps for 2014.” …Or that some enterprising individual attempts to create the next Travelocity. …Or there isn’t another 10-12 mobile travel apps all claiming to be essential in the App store. So […]

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Health insurance news from around the world: Germany

July 9, 2010

Germany’s Ministry of Health has stated they will have mandatory price negotiations on drug manufacturers as part of their health care reform.  One key element is to stop drug companies’ ability to set prices on new patented drugs without negotiating with insurers.   The Ministry of Health is also working towards: *        A maximum price set for […]

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For the people of Brazil, Carnival is the biggest event of the year

June 22, 2015

For the people of Brazil, Carnival is the biggest event of the year. In large cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, Carnival is held annually. Carnival is celebrated right before Lent, like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Listed below are some of the biggest carnivals in Brazil: Rio Carnival Carnival in Rio de […]

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