European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Losing touch from the cover Little More than aching for an afternoon at the mall or craving the ease of an All night 7-eleven. A the malls a Degraphenree said. A we really miss the  for others however it can Lead to self imposed isolation alcohol and drug problems chronic weight gain and in extreme cases xenophobia. Or. Raymond a. Sleszynski who Heads the psychiatry department at the . Navy Hospital in Rota Spain believes the problem begins with the loss of a the american routine a the combination of things that a seem by themselves so trivial but taken in total Are very  a a there a a lot to the routine that we re not even aware of a Sleszynski said. A a we re accustomed to a certain Structure certain hours certain amenities kinds of shops kinds of television radio language. And we take All these things for  a Berlin based psychologist or. Scott Borrelli notes that the move overseas also involves losing what he Calls the a powerful sense of  a the values that i have the perceptions and beliefs that i walk around with were formed Back in America a said Borrelli who teaches for Boston University and runs a private practice. A when in a in another culture those values and beliefs Are challenged constantly. Its a much bigger ballgame i think than people  american foods and american style shopping Are the things newcomers to Europe miss most according to research by or. Pamela Rosengard a clinical psychologist in private practice in Heidelberg Germany. Shopping in particular is acutely missed Rosengard said because in America it has evolved far beyond its utilitarian roots. A we depend upon shopping As a Means of psychologically lifting us up a said Rosengard who also secs . Military patients on a voluntary basis one Day a week. A even if you done to have an encounter with a Friend or a family member that Day you almost have a guarantee that you can walk into a local store and. Get a smile from somebody. You get an interaction that lasts maybe Only 30 seconds but that 30 seconds of in. Traction can be the High Point of some Peoples  Elise Schubert who runs the orientation program for new personnel assigned to Ramstein a in Germany acknowledges that Europe a limited shopping hours Are one of the biggest concerns expressed by americans in her to ice weekly classes. A i Tell them right away the reasons the stores done to stay open longer that there Are Trade unions and Laws controlling that. A they look at me with big eyes a she said. Americans also miss the general ease of american life although Many have trouble explaining exactly Why the United states seems More relaxing. Karen Southard whose husband Rick is a Navy Petty officer stationed in Naples Italy believes that it has something to do with escaping the hassles of life overseas. A you done to realize How stressed you Are until you get Back Home a said Southard who recently returned to Italy after a two month visit to her Home in Independence ind. A when you get there you feel so relaxed so at ease. We rented a car in Philadelphia and drove straight through to Indiana. We should have been exhausted but just the fact that we were on american soil it Felt so  senior master sgt. Ken Casey a first sergeant with the 7274th air base group at Raf Chick Sands England experienced similar feelings on a recent trip to san Francisco. Casey who has been stationed in England since 1982, said All night shopping and other services in the United states offer the Chance for a looser less structured life. A in England i have to think More be More organized to keep my life going on a Day to Day basis paying Bills shopping and so on a he said. A i kind of liked being Back in the United states because i did no to have to think about it. I did no to have to plan and it became More  Casey also believes that Europe a High Speed driving contributes to the stress americans feel while living overseas. A you done to really realize it until you go to an entirely different environment Back to California or new York or wherever you live a he said. A there you get on the major freeways of America and you put it on cruise control and kick Back and have a conversation while you re driving. Its very very  Rosengard Calls that vague feeling of Calm a the air of being  a in America you re not culturally wrong and you speak the right language. You know where to turn for everything. And i think this is critical you can have personal Contact any time you need it. In America you can make a Little joke with the waitress Shell laugh and suddenly breakfast at Denny a is a pleasant experience a she said. A a it a much More difficult in a foreign  complicating the sense of loss Many people experience when moving overseas is the fact that americans do not generally adapt easily to new cultural situations. One Factor is americans daunting geographic size and its own cultural political and religious diversity. Another is the american concept of the melting pot which puts a Premium on blending All things foreign into a homogeneous whole. As a result americans traditionally shy away from learning foreign languages and often have a provincial attitude regarding other countries and cultures. A a it a More difficult for most americans to adapt because that a not part of what they re americans like the convenience of round the clock shopping such As at this 7-eleven in St Clair shores Mich