This is a really good analogy. As long as you guys are open minded, you'll eventually feel comfortable calling MCG your home server. I had the same adjustment problems when I came back to MCG/MCSG after my near 8 month long hiatus while at my first year of college. I started off here when the community was new, very tight knit in teamspeak (all 20 of us USA players who actively used the TS knew each other well), and while we were mostly the competitive members in the active US community, we didn't experience much drama. We were competitive, but our main goal was really just to have fun and meet new like minded players. I became pretty inactive when the community started to really experience good growth, as I was enjoying my freshman year of college.
When I returned to actively playing, I experienced a bit of what I call gaming community culture shock. I didn't want to accept it, and for a while I actually didn't. My old friends for the majority had moved on, the Teamspeak was filled to the brim with new players, but also filled to the brim with players who didn't treat me like a normal person. Clans had really taken shape, the competitive scene was really starting to form, and new strategy that actually took time to learn and develop had formed. I didn't like it. I could go on and on about how I felt, and why. But looking back now, it was silly for me to be so harsh. I returned expecting things to be right where I left them, and I'm a fool for expecting it. I eventually bonded with some of my older friends, and even some new ones. It took me a long time, but I accepted that change was inevitable, so I should probably adapt with it and have some fun. Just as I had to adapt when I first joined MCSG, I realized I needed that same open mindedness to learn, and that's honestly the only way you will ever have any fun, is if you go into this community with an open mind. Build an emotional wall, mostly so the immature "gg rekt 2ez" people don't get to you. Died to a massive team while playing solo? Leave the match before you can even see what they will type in chat. Make a mental note of those people, so you can avoid them on Teamspeaks later on, because they aren't usually worth the friendship. Find a close knit group of friends, and stick with them, but also be open to meeting others.
That's my best advice. Sorry it's a bit lengthy, but I don't want to see the new players feeling defeated. There are a lot of us here who are welcoming of new players, because we realize that at one point, we were also new.