We are still in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. After being in Luperon, Dominican Republic (DR) for six months, it was a shock to arrive in a major tourist destination. In fact, we have been here for six weeks and I’m starting to find my groove. What I was experiencing is what might be called “reverse culture shock.”

It’s a sensation experienced by many people who “return home” after long absences from their home culture. But it caught me sideways.

Reverse Culture Shock After Luperón

In Charlotte Amalie, there are cruise ships, and mega yachts. Crowds ride about the town on open-air, safari-style buses while wearing sensible sandals and sun visors. Here, you can experience buyer’s remorse over the purchase of a Swiss-made watch while drinking an overpriced coffee.

The weather is warm. We swim everyday. And, I shouldn’t complain but a trip to the local Kmart gave me a case of the grumps. I later confided to my husband, Rick, that I didn’t rent our house in Ottawa — and donate most of our belongings — so that I could shop at Kmart.

My reasoning was that if I wanted to buy heavily packaged, generic merchandise then I could have stayed at home. Don’t get me wrong, in Charlotte Amalie, the selection of goods is amazing. But, I have grown to enjoy buying things with character.

In Luperon, I liked the eggs with the occasional feather stuck on the shell. Bell peppers were rather crinkly, and arrived to the corner stores in straw panniers on the back of a motor bike. Some farmers brought their milk to town by donkey.

What Is Reverse Culture Shock?

My reaction and adjustment to a faster-paced, consumerist culture is one example of reverse culture shock.

The International Programs Office at Queen’s University in Canada describes reverse culture shock to students returning from an exchange. Their “Returning Home” page cautions that a re-entry to a “home” culture “has its own set of special social and psychological adjustments.”

Craig Storti describes this transitional time in his book, The Art of Coming Home, originally published in 1997. But reverse culture shock has been a long observed phenomenon that Thomas Wolfe’s referenced in his book published in 1940, You Can’t Go Home Again where the protagonist feels like an outcast upon returning to his home town.

In my case, Canada is my home, but in places Charlotte Amalie feels like a place where North American franchises perch. There was even a Hooter’s.

Hooter’s in Charlotte Amalie has since closed. Praise be.

Finding the Upside of St Thomas

Fortunately, my Kmart meltdown was short-lived. While in Charlotte Amalie, I have enjoyed an outrageously-priced latte. As well it has been nice to order some things from Amazon, although WIFI has been very sketchy. We needed to order some spare boat parts, and that has been easy to do here. We have started to eat lettuce again because it seems to be free of insects.

Escaping the Cruise Ships for Water Island

But, the cruise ships were anchored near us. Tired of all the boat traffic, and looking for something different, we headed over to Water Island. Water Island is a 10-minute dinghy ride from the center of Charlotte Amalie. But, it has two beach bars and attracts people, mainly a younger set in bikinis. We knew that our friend, Will Aitken, and his two dogs were there. Our kids adore Will.

While we were at Water Island, a beautiful 179 foot sailboat named Adele anchored next to us. And, we introduced ourselves to the owners of the St Francis 50 catamaran named SV Paradigm Shift. It’s always exciting to see other St Francis 50s.

Our boat, SV Aphrodite, is hull number one of the St Francis 50 fleet. That means we were the first boat of this design. Only about 20 boats of our boat type have ever been made.

We left Water Island a few days ago. The winds were fierce and it was rather rolly even though we are on a catamaran, which is known for stability. We are now anchored at Brewer’s Bay, which is where we spent Christmas.

Today, a 109.9 foot sailboat named Toto came into Brewer’s Bay and appeared to be practicing anchoring. In Brewer’s Bay, we can take a bus to town for a dollar. We can dinghy to the beach. Yesterday, we went snorkeling and saw turtles and sting rays. I will write more about Brewer’s Bay, hopefully with some video.

Related posts

Anchoring in the USVI: Meeting the ‘Mayors’ of the Harbour

Luperón Long Reads — Waiting Out Hurricane Season

Sailing Life Culture Shock: Questioning the Dream

Provisioning in the Pacific Islands: A Sailing Family Adapts

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