[erikb]

I also had this feeling of only learning about my own national/cultural identity by being the foreigner in another country. Suddenly you even realize there are things you're proud of, although you've never thought of yourself as being proud about your country before.

And I'm jealous that you know about the reverse culture shock. Gives you some time to prep for it. I'd be really curious if it helps. For me and probably many others the reverse shock was actually much worse. Took me about a year to get any kind of life back. And it was really disappointing that all the new things you've learned you couldn't just not really share with old friends and family, they don't really care. Otherwise they would've taken the trip with you, right? So for them you are not the smart, cool guy who managed to do something extraordinary, you're the idiot who did lots of crazy things and now pesters them with all of the experience they could have told him before would be troublesome and weird.

What helped a little was having contact with expats in the other direction who I could communicate with after returning face to face, and keeping all my friends from the foreign country at least digitally close by.

Good luck with returning! Hope it works better for you.