Reverse Culture Shock
(Adapted from GlobaLinks Abroad’s “Reverse Culture Shock and the Re-Entry Experience”)
Symptoms of Reverse Culture Shock
- Boredom, restlessness
- Reverse homesickness – missing people and places from abroad
- Change in goals, plans, or priorities
- Change in relationships with people from home
- Feelings of alienation, withdrawal, or depression
- Insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, frustration
- Fear of losing the memories and experience abroad
- Need for excessive sleep
- Critical or negative views of your own culture
- Feelings of resistance toward family and friends
Tips for Overcoming Reverse Culture Shock
- Be flexible and open-minded as you view your home culture and country through new eyes
- Stay in touch with fellow study abroad students and share your re-entry experiences
- Share your stories and photos with friends and families, but be understanding if they have difficulty relating to your experience
- Discuss your academic experience with your adviser, especially if you are considering a new career path
- Get involved in cultural or international activities in your community or on your campus
- Keep up with your host country through news coverage, media outlets, and relationships you formed while abroad
- Stay connected to the world through global news networks and newspapers with an international/global focus
- Journal your thoughts and emotions about returning to your home culture
- Share your experience through writing contests, photo contests, being an active alumni, etc.
- Plan your next abroad experience, whether it be backpacking through Southeast Asia, teaching English in Eastern Europe, or exploring down under