I’m back in London after almost a decade in the US – and I’m feeling homesick | Bim Adewunmi
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Bim Adewunmi
British writer and journalist
Bim Adewunmi is a British writer and journalist. She is a producer for This American Life and previously worked as a culture writer at BuzzFeed and The Guardian. She co-hosted the podcast Thirst Aid Kit with writer Nichole Perkins (2017-2020).
London
Capital of England and the United Kingdom
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50...
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Deep Analysis
Why It Matters
This personal essay highlights the complex emotional experience of reverse culture shock and re-adaptation that affects millions of global migrants, expatriates, and diaspora communities. It matters because it explores how identity transforms during extended time abroad and the psychological challenges of returning 'home' to find it changed. The piece resonates with anyone who has lived between cultures, particularly relevant in our increasingly mobile world where 281 million people live outside their birth countries.
Context & Background
- Reverse culture shock is a documented psychological phenomenon where returnees experience distress re-adjusting to their home culture after extended time abroad
- The UK has seen significant demographic and cultural shifts in the past decade including Brexit, cost of living increases, and changing urban landscapes
- Diaspora communities often maintain complex relationships with their countries of origin, balancing nostalgia with changed personal identities
- The author Bim Adewunmi is a British-Nigerian journalist whose work frequently explores identity, culture, and belonging across international contexts
What Happens Next
The author will likely continue navigating the emotional process of re-integration while potentially writing more about this transitional experience. This personal reflection may spark broader conversations about diaspora identity and the psychological impacts of global mobility. Readers experiencing similar transitions may find community through shared stories of cultural re-adaptation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reverse culture shock is the emotional and psychological difficulty of readjusting to one's home culture after living abroad. It often involves feeling like a stranger in your own country, struggling with changed relationships, and reconciling your transformed identity with unchanged expectations from those back home.
People can feel homesick for a remembered version of home that no longer exists—both because the physical place has changed and because they themselves have transformed during their time away. This creates a disconnect between nostalgic expectations and current reality.
Research suggests most long-term expatriates experience some degree of reverse culture shock, with studies showing 60-80% report significant re-entry difficulties. The intensity varies based on length of absence, depth of cultural immersion abroad, and changes in the home country during their absence.
Effective strategies include gradually rebuilding local social networks, finding communities with similar cross-cultural experiences, maintaining connections with the country lived in abroad, and allowing time for emotional processing rather than expecting immediate reintegration.
This mirrors challenges faced by many diaspora communities who navigate multiple cultural identities. The essay highlights how migration creates permanent psychological shifts, affecting even those who physically return to their countries of origin.