As the spring semester winds down, many college students will begin to look eagerly towards the summer. Spending time on the beach, not having to eat at the campus cafeteria, or traveling abroad are all images that would get anyone excited enough to power through those last few weeks of classes and finals. But for a small percentage of students, the end the spring semester also marks the end of their study abroad experience. And for those of you, we want to provide a few tips to help with the adjustment back to life in the US.
The first few weeks after you return home can be as challenging, if not more so, than your first few weeks abroad. This adjustment period, commonly known as reverse culture shock, can kick in at any time. Generally, the main trigger of culture shock is that your perception of home, the ideal version that you were picturing while abroad, may not be accurate. The stress of everyday life is waiting for you when you get back, and you might quickly realize that life has continued on without you. It's not unusual for it to be a bit difficult to immediately jump back into an unchanged routine when you have experienced enormous growth and change while away.
Another of the common frustrations from recent study abroad alums is that they always find themselves wanting to tell stories about their time abroad without anyone to listen. Your great story about the hostel in the south of France or the white water rafting trip in New Zealand might not resonate like you hope – you were they, they weren't. It's kind of like telling people your dreams: you can picture everything in such vivid detail, but it's impossible to relay that experience to others. Nobody but you can fully appreciate the impact that studying abroad has on you.
When you do things like this on a weekly basis, it's hard to summarize an entire experience abroad when asked, "How was it?"
It’s very easy to become disenchanted with life back home and irritable to the fact you can’t find your favorite Spanish cheeses in the local supermarket. But before you decide you simply aren’t going home and begin to apply for citizenship, know that there are some very successful ways to cope with reverse culture shock:
1. Keep your experience alive. More than likely there are ways you can still connect to your study abroad experience without going very far. Connect with other study abroad returnees in your neighborhood or on your campus. Participate in any cultural events your community may have. Join a language class or volunteer to tutor (this is a good way to keep your language skills sharp!).
2. Embrace the things you missed most while abroad. Just like it was easy to romanticize the aspect of home while you were abroad, it’s easy to do so about your host location overseas once you are back in the U.S. Appreciate the local sandwich shop, your family pets, or that you can watch your favorite sports team without waking up in the middle of the night to catch the game live.
3. Stay in touch with your friends from abroad. This is a great way to stay updated with the current events in your host location and to keep your memories fresh. You would also be surprised at how interested your friends from abroad may be about your seemingly “dull” life back home.
4. Talk to your study abroad office on campus. Reverse culture shock is fairly common among returned students and you won’t be the only one from your campus to experience these symptoms. Your advisor can also connect you with students interested in traveling to the city or country where you studied so you can share your knowledge and expertise. You can bet these students will want to hear all about your time overseas, especially that hostel story from France.
This article was written by guest contributor and CISabroad University Relations Coordinator (Mid-Atlantic), Tammen Nicholson.
Have you experienced reverse culture shock? If so, what did you do to cope? Share with a comment below!
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