It is common for international students to experience reverse culture shock after studying abroad. Read on to learn everything you need to know about reverse culture shock and the ways to overcome it.
Reverse culture shock, also known as re-entry, is an emotional and pyschological distress experienced by students when they return to their home country after pursuing higher education abroad. But how can international students cope with it? This article discusses reverse culture shock in detail along with methods to deal with it.
What is Cultural Shock and Reverse Culture Shock?
When international students move from a familiar culture to an unfamiliar one, they experience culture shock. It is common for students to encounter this shock while adjusting to new surroundings, interacting with new people, and engaging with the culture of the host country.
Moreover, it also includes involves the shock associated with separation from your close ones, like family members, friends, teachers, etc. These are the people you rely on for support and guidance.
On the other hand, reverse culture shock occurs when students move back to their home country after studying abroad for some years. Just as it took time to get used to a new culture, It may take some time to re-adjust to life at home. Following are the some of the general symptoms of reverse culture shock:
- Restlessness
- Boredom
- Rootlessness
- Depression
- Confusion
- Uncertainty
- Reverse homesickness
- Isolation
Challenges Faced by Students Due to Reverse Culture Shock
Following are some of the challenges faced by students due to reverse culture shock:
- Boredom
- No One Wants to Hear About Your Experiences
- It’s Hard to Explain
- Reverse Homesickness
- Relationships Have Changed
- People See “Wrong” Changes or Misunderstand You
- Feeling of Alienation or Seeing Home with Critical Eyes
- Inability to Apply New Knowledge and Skills
- Loss/Compartmentalization of Experience
Boredom
Returning to the comfortable routines of home after being abroad, where daily tasks were exciting challenges and you met so many new people, may seem boring. By exploring new interests, you can find new friends, clubs, activities, and more with your new international experience and language ability.
No One Wants to Hear About Your Experiences
When you return, you may want to talk non-stop about your time abroad only to find that people don’t seem that interested. Frequently, people who haven’t had an international experience have a hard time relating to yours and may lose interest once they hear the highlights of your time abroad.
Make an effort to seek out other study abroad returnees; they will be more receptive to listening to all the details about your time abroad and will have stories to share with you as well. When discussing your time abroad with less receptive audiences, remember to keep your stories brief and relevant to your audience.
It’s Hard to Explain
You experienced so much while you were abroad that it may be difficult to accurately explain all the feelings you had or describe all the sights you saw. You may feel that you can’t get people to understand it, but that’s okay. Again, this is a good time to talk to other study abroad returnees. Also, journaling or scrap-booking may help you better articulate and express what you went through.
Reverse Homesickness
If you made good friends and grew to love the host culture, it’s only natural that you will miss it upon leaving. Luckily, technology makes it easy to keep in touch with your new friends via email, Skype, Facebook, etc. It may help to seek out and befriend people at home who are from your host country.
Relationships Have Changed
Just as you’ve changed while abroad, people back home have undergone changes while you were away. You may notice that you relate to people differently than before. Whether positive or negative, this is normal. Handle it with patience and without losing sight of why you were close to the person in the first place.
People See “Wrong” Changes or Misunderstand You
Some people may be upset by changes in your behavior or ideas. This negativity is often rooted in feelings of jealousy, inferiority or superiority. This phase normally passes quickly if you are aware of how people react to you, and are willing to explain these changes in a way that isn’t boastful or defensive.
Feeling of Alienation or Seeing Home with Critical Eyes
After experiencing a different culture, you may find yourself critical of some aspects of your home culture. Know that you had to go through these same feelings upon arrival in your host culture. In due time, you will gain a more balanced perspective and realize the strengths and weaknesses of both cultures without being so critical.
Inability to Apply New Knowledge and Skills
You might feel like your newly acquired linguistic, cultural and practical coping skills aren’t relevant at home. However, with a little patience and persistence you will find ways to use these skills. Your international office on campus should have resources to help with this.
Loss/Compartmentalization of Experience
After getting back into the routine of life at home, you may feel like your experience is slipping away from you. Don’t let this happen. Keep the experience alive by maintaining contact with the friends you made while abroad and sharing your experience with those who can relate to it.
Stages of Reverse Culture Shock
Take a look at the stages of reverse culture shock:
Disengagement
You begin to think about your return home as your departure date approaches. In this sense, you have one foot in your host country and the other in your country of origin. As your time abroad ends, you start to think about what you'll do when you return to your home country.
Euphoria
During this phase, the prospective of going back to your home excites you. You begin thinking about meeting your old friends, having your favourite cuisines, and talking in your native language.
In this stage, you get excited about the prospect of going home. You think about seeing your old friends, eating your favorite foods and speaking your native language. You may experience this stage before leaving your host country or after returning home.
Dampened Euphoria
Upon returning home, you may feel like a foreigner in your own country after a short while. In this stage, you may experience frustration and alienation in your culture. Moreover, it you will feel like people are not able to relate to your experiences.
Gradual Readjustment
Things are no longer so shocking and you are less critical about aspects of your culture that bothered you during the dampened euphoria stage. You begin to analyze what you learned abroad and decide how you will apply it to your life in your home country.
You may decide to adopt certain host culture characteristics or habits into your daily life. You may begin to think about how to apply what you’ve learned both academically and professionally.
How to Deal with Reverse Culture Shock?
It may take some time but it is possible to overcome the reverse culture shock by following these useful tips:
- Don't forget to share the culture of your host country with your friends at home. You can cook a favorite foreign dish for your friends and family.
- Share your experience to inspire other students. Become a mentor for foreign students on your campus, volunteer or work in your international studies or study abroad office. Consider integrating some host culture habits into your routine at home.
- Stay in touch with friends you made while abroad.
- Remember what it was like when you first arrived in your host country. The steps you took to adjust to your host culture will be useful for readjusting back to being at home. New experiences were probably a big distraction - find ways to stay busy with new experiences at home.
Reverse Culture Shock FAQs
1. What is reverse culture shock?
Reverse culture shock is experienced by students once they come back to their home country after completing their studies abroad.
2. How long does reverse culture shock last?
Students are able to cope from reverse culture shock at their own pace. Therefore, this time period may vary from one individual to another.
3. How to deal with reverse culture shock?
Sharing your experiences with other students, spending time with family and friends, and staying in touch with abroad friends are some of the ways to overcome the reverse culture shock.
