5 Ways to Handle Reverse Culture Shock
by Robyn Tellefsen
As important as it is to prepare for your study abroad experience, it may be even more critical to get ready for the inevitable readjustment period afterward. Now that he's returned to the U.S. after studying abroad in Macau, China, Susquehanna University (Selinsgrove, PA) senior Aaron Abel warns students to not underestimate the impact of reentry. "Reverse culture shock is more severe the less you expect it," says the creative writing major. "Just as much as you adjusted to fit in abroad, you'll have to do the same to adjust to home."
But don't worry about what's to come - just take time before you go to review these tips for handling cross-cultural reentry and processing your study abroad experience.
1. Get together with fellow travelers.
All Susquehanna students take a two-credit reflection course when they return from their required cross-cultural experience. The course provides a built-in support network and an organized forum in which they can process their study abroad experience with their peers. If such opportunities are not available at your school, make it a point to meet regularly with your study abroad pals to hash out your experiences and ease the cross-cultural reentry.
2. Stay connected with the new culture.
In the age of social media, it's easier than ever to keep in touch with the professors, friends, and families you met abroad. You can stay connected with the culture itself by seeking out opportunities to practice the language and by following international news. In addition, build upon your cross-cultural experience by pursuing relationships with people from that country who may be living in your community.
3. Make new friends.
Cross-cultural experience and reverse culture shock can make you more sensitive to the needs and cultures of international students on campus or immigrants in the local community. Extend your circle of friends to include those with whom you can make a new connection. Now that you know what it's like to experience a brand new culture, you can empathize with foreigners finding their way in your home country.
4. Keep asking questions.
It's not enough to just live in another country for a while - you also need to consider the ways your ideas, beliefs, and values have been challenged by the experience. Your study abroad experience and reverse culture shock can help you discover more about yourself and those around you. It can also expand your worldview. If you want to look back on your time abroad as more than a trip you happened to take one time - if you truly want to grow from your cross-cultural experience - you need to ask yourself hard questions about what you believe and what you value.
5. Give yourself time.
Upon reentry, you might feel like the new culture you experienced is superior to your own. For example, many U.S. students have ventured abroad and encountered the "ugly American" stereotype firsthand, witnessing the disdain many countries feel toward the United States. Over time, though, allow yourself to develop a more complete perspective that respects each culture on its own merits. Use your experience to be an instrument of change on campus and in your community.
By allowing yourself to process your study abroad experience and integrate it into your life back home, you'll be able to handle reverse culture shock gracefully and continue on the path to becoming a true citizen of the world.
