I’ve been living in Europe, now, for the better part of sixteen years. And yet, it was only this summer that I experienced the phenomenon of realizing I was more in tune with how things work in Germany, my second culture, than I was with how it’s done in America.
This wasn’t really the case before now. I’m wondering what it was about this summer—I mean, I hadn’t been away from America for any longer than normal. I’m not even immersed in German language or, let’s be honest, German society as much as I could/should be?
So, is sixteen years away from where I grew up my own personal magic expat number? Is this the specific amount of time it took me to feel more integrated into one culture than the other?
Example Number One of a Time I Was Super Confused in America
Buffalo Schnitzel 