Kickstarter

Imagine living abroad for years, then suddenly deciding to return home. Would you experience culture shock in reverse? Would your relationships with friends and family have changed? Would personal changes brought on by living abroad have an impact on your perceptions of a place that used to be so familiar? Would you still feel..... like that place was your home?

American Culture Shock tells this story.

Leaving America to travel and live in Asia has been a monumental journey. Many people have experienced it and understand the impact in can have on the way you think. It effects the way you communicate your personality, and the way you perceive things around you, including your past.

I experienced culture shock when I arrived in Asia. And wrote about it on my blog. Now I'm curious about the culture shock I may have upon my return to America. How do culture shock and reverse culture shock compare? My goal is to film this experience and share it with you.

This story will be told through a series of interviews with friends from both The Republic of China ( Taiwan ) and America. Family, co-workers and travellers who have all had some experience with both leaving their homes and dealing with culture shock. I'm interested in discussing the issue of America, living abroad and culture shock not only through my eyes but through those around me as well.

The costs for creating this film are fairly low since I will not be using high-end professional equipment, and will be doing a lot of the filming myself. 

The main costs are in transportation, and equipment which include use of a camera, audio equipment and some lighting. Transportation of gear to and from The Republic of China and around Wisconsin, illinois and Michigan where filming will take place.

Later I will do my own editing and production with Adobe Premier and After Effects. The Finished project will be made available on a variety of sites of course. The project filming will take place between June and July in The Republic of China, and August in the United States.

My goal with this project is to examine what it’s like to return to American after adjusting and in some ways assimilating to an Asian lifestyle. I want to delve into and share with you the complexities of reverse culture shock on a day to day basis and what that may feel like both for me and those around me. How will returning to the U.S. be? Will I be able to adjust back to American lifestyle within 3 weeks? Will I be excited to return to Asia after? Will leaving to go back to Asia for a second time compare to the first or will it feel like I am going home after a trip abroad?

Thanks for taking the time to look at my project! I welcome any feedback / and or advice as well.... I know I need it.

Chris!