Change ... and not letting it happen

I have not written here for a long time, and I sure did not want to begin again with a non-technical post, but here this post is. The title is a little deceiving. It should have been "Change ... and not letting it happen in an overwhelming place like the US". The subject is simple, I know many people, both relatives and not, who have been here for some time and yet I can name no one who has not changed a bit after coming here. That both surprises and scares me, frankly I do not want to change anything within me, but it looks like it happens automatically, almost an year later, I see that happening to me. I only realize it when I talk to a friend back at home.
It is this place, overwhelming in every aspect, larger than life - life. I guess it indeed is tough to hold on to what you were ....