Reverse Culture Shock

Many people expect to experience culture shock when they study abroad, but fewer people are prepared for the challenges of re-entering their own culture on their return home. You may expect to be able to pick up exactly where you left off when you went away, but you find that family and friends have changed and things have happened since you’ve been gone. Likewise, you may expect people to show more enthusiasm and interest in your experiences than they actually do.

This re-entry process is often called reverse culture shock and it is natural for people to feel frustrated, left out, or misunderstood as a result. In general, the more integrated your have become in your host country while away, the harder you may find it to readjust once back home. It’s important for both you and your family and friends to understand that re-entry may not be as simple as just re-establishing old routines and relationships. There will be adjustments that everyone will need to make.

Like culture shock, reverse culture shock also has predictable stages that most people will go through. Initially after returning home, most people will feel a sense of euphoria, or at least relief, about being back. You may feel happy to see your friends and family again, and enjoy sharing stories and catching up on news from home. This phase varies in length but it generally ends with the realization that others are perhaps not as interested in your stories and experiences as you had hoped. This can lead to feelings of frustration, irritation, alienation and loneliness. You may long to be back overseas again.

Gradually these negative feelings will subside and you will become accustomed to life at home again. However, things will never be exactly as they were before you went overseas, since you’ve had experiences that have likely changed your beliefs, values and goals. This can be positive if you are prepared to integrate what you’ve learned while abroad into your home environment.

Here are some suggestions for ways to prepare for re-entry and to minimize the impacts of reverse culture shock after you return home:

Allow yourself time to reflect on your experiences and how they may have changed your own beliefs and values. Don’t be hard on yourself if you feel frustrated or irritated soon after arriving home.
Don’t expect to fall effortlessly into old routines and relationships. You have changed and so have others at home, so you’ll need to readjust some of the ways you used to do things.
Try not to be critical of your home country, or to compare your home and host countries soon after returning home. Remember that you are in a transition phase and your views will become more balanced with time.
Connect and share experiences with other study abroad alumni who have also returned home (the AUIP facebook group is a great place to start). This may help you understand that you are not alone and that others are sharing similar frustrations.
Keep yourself busy! After experiencing so many exciting and new things overseas, you may feel bored at home, which will only fuel discontentment. Seek out new hobbies, new friends, and new experiences that you may not have been open to before you left.
Be realistic in how fascinated everyone else will be in your experiences. They may be interested, but is asking them to look at all 950 of your photos really reasonable?
Consider keeping a journal of your thoughts and ideas. Many people find this a useful way to reflect on how they’ve changed and what issues they find challenging.
Keep in touch with your new friends from overseas. Read their local newspaper on the internet and stay in touch with your new “other” home.