Enoh "Walks" Copland

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Shock Culture Reverse

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It's now been 20 years since I lived in the United States. And over those 20 years, my visits have become fewer and farther between. In fact, this visit marks exactly three years since the last time I was on this side of the Atlantic. So reverse culture shock still hits. It's sometimes just as shocking, if not more so. Here are the top three things I wasn't expecting in the first 10 days of stepping off the plane in Boston. Kenmore Boston 1. Commercials.  I shouldn't have been surprised by this because... I've still lived more than half of my life in the U.S. there are commercials in Croatia I'm still plugged into American culture by listening and watching baseball games and podcasts.  But still.  As soon as I started listening to my podcasts after arriving, I was greeted by a prelude of unexpected commercials. In Croatia, podcasts start with the voice of the host. There are no commercials automatically inserted because it’s a different market. I know this is ol...
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Citizenship

Would you give up your citizenship? I've been going through the mandatory five year process of acquiring permanent residence in Croatia. Every year, I've renewed my visa. Last month I passed a language test. Turns out, my last obstacle will be passing a culture test I wasn't aware of until a few days ago. My knowledge of the Croatian constitution, amendments and laws will be the difference between attaining residence and having to go through the whole five year process again. Despite the bureaucratic inconvenience that would be, a phone call with a friend caused a bigger discomfort to situate itself in my psyche. See, attaining residence would allow me to apply for Croatian citizenship in a year. My wife and three kids already have dual citizenship. In my thinking, in another year I could become the bi-cultured individual I'd always dreamed of becoming. That's just a half joke. There's something about the idea of dual citizenship that nudges the ego up a no...
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Addendum: An Unexpected Trip

Since we moved to Croatia, many people have asked me what I miss most about the States. My response is #1: Family and friends, and #2: Baseball.  Of course the former makes a lot of sense. The latter, on the other hand, in a culture where baseball is just in the movies, takes most off guard.  Regardless, my most recent trips to the States represent these two reasons. Last year I went to western New York to celebrate my grandparents’ 70 years of marriage . This year, in fact, right now , I am arriving in Boston to enjoy the Cubs' first trip to the World Series in 71 years. That may sound like a trivial reason to cross the Atlantic, but this is where I come back to reason #1. Having gained a love for the Cubs from my father and having shared it with my brother, it will be a joy to watch several games with them. I'll also be able to visit close friends in Chicago, whom I haven’t seen in three years, and whose children I’ve never met. I will be able to have my cake a...
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