What is Reverse Culture Shock?

Re-entry shock is a term that describes the shock people go through when returning home after an extended stay abroad. Just as you experienced culture shock when you first arrived at your study abroad destination, most students go through a similar re-adjustment period when they return home.

Are You Experiencing Re-Entry Shock?

Feeling a little off? If you've just returned home and are experiencing a range of feelings, from antsy-ness to depression, you may be going through re-entry shock. Ask yourself the following questions:

What are the Stages of Reverse Culture Shock?

Stage one: leave-taking and departure

• begins some time before you actually leave the country and culture of your program.
• ideally, includes intentional farewells and closure with people important to you during your overseas experience.
• may combine feelings of anticipation, excitement and ambivalence about your return home or to school, looking forward to reconnecting, but unsure of how it may go.

Stage two: the honeymoon

• feels exhilarating during the first one or two weeks, because you are the center of attention, you can do/eat/smell all the things you've missed (can occur first at home, then again when you return to school).
• may not see home or school "so much for what it is, but for what you need it to be".

Stage three: reverse culture shock

• usually sets in when you have made your rounds of initial visits and connections, and now it's time to settle down to life-as-we-know-it.
• may feel judgmental about the US and/or TAMU, overwhelmed by the obsessiveness about time, schedules, and expectations in classes, and doubtful about the wisdom of returning, majoring in a certain field, living on campus, etc.
• may want to resist the pressures of family or TAMU, may not want to let go of your overseas experience, may feel the urge to escape or withdraw, or may feel downright depressed.

Stage four: readjustment

Readjusting to your Home Culture

1. Be reflective. Give some thought to your return, to the types of intellectual and emotional changes that you have undergone as a result of your time abroad.
2. Understand the needs of others. Be patient with your friends and family who are trying to understand your recent experiences. Listen to them, too, about the changes they underwent during the time you were away.
3. Expect some negative feelings about your “home” culture. You are viewing it, perhaps for the first time, from the perspective of a foreigner. A common tendency is to be highly critical of shortcomings that you did not see before. Remember that there are positive and negative aspects of all cultures.
4. Accentuate the positive. Try to identify what you like about both cultures and try to incorporate the best aspects of these into your life.
5. Plug into international activities. Find ways to keep the "international" part of you alive, to make it part of the new you. This may mean becoming involved in on- or off-campus clubs or activities, such as Aggie International Ambassadors or TAMU international student functions, to maintain your language skills, to use your cross-cultural skills, or reaching out to an international student.
6. Use your skills. Use the cross-cultural adaptation skills you developed abroad (e.g. keep active, maintain a sense of humor, find a support group, expect differences, allow yourself to make mistakes, stay flexible) during your readjustment to home.
7. Set goals for your development. Set goals for your development. Realize once again that change can be stimulating and this could be your chance to develop in new directions. Set some long-term goals, which may involve finding ways to return abroad. Both the Study Abroad Office and Career Services on campus have reference libraries with information on working abroad.