"Door and their handles, push or pull?
Digging for change when you hear nature call.
Friendly hellos and dismissive shrugs.
Shoes on or off when you cross the rug.
Rules of the road that aren’t what you were taught
Business hours that change, open or not?
The seasons that change in not the same way.
One kiss or two, who is to say?
Culture shock is real but not what you think.
It’s language and culture you say with a wink.
You research, prepare, think you are ready.
Plan your adventure, onward, steady.
But the shock of the move instead hides.
In the tiny things too small to confide.
Beyond notice, insignificant, you can’t possibly explain
The whispered message, the silent refrain
That as you live life, do as you do
The thing that is foreign here is you."
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