Reverse Culture Shock
IS YOUR AU PAIR PROGRAM COMING TO AN END OR HAVE YOU JUST RETURNED BACK TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY, BUT YOU FEEL UNHAPPY AND LIKE YOU DO NOT FIT IN ANYMORE?
Reverse culture shock is also called re-entry shock and is defined as the emotional and psychological distress that some people experience when they return home after having lived abroad for a longer period of time. Returning home and re-adjusting to the culture and values of your home country can be difficult at first.
Reverse culture shock has many similarities to the culture shock you probably experienced when you came to the US, however, it is a bit different since you are already familiar with the culture in your home country. Still, it can feel different for you once you return home, and you may see some things differently, now that you have also lived in another culture for a longer period of time.
Stages of Reverse Culture Shock
Stage 1
The Honeymoon Phase
Your year is almost over, and you are likely sad to leave your host family and friends in the US, but you are also excited (maybe also nervous) to return home. You are anxious to see everyone again, to know how they have been, see what has changed and to share your experiences. Then you are finally back home- it feels great to see your family and friends, eat your favorite foods that you have missed so much, watch your favorite shows again and just be in a familiar environment again and speak your own language again all day
Stage 2
Crisis and Confusing Frustration
The honeymoon stage may last a few days or weeks but after that initial excitement, confusion and/or frustration might set in. You may be bothered by small things that you may now see or experience differently. Things that, before you left, may have felt ‘normal’ and ‘comfortable’ may now seem different because you have seen and experienced other ways of doing or seeing things which may even make more sense to you or feel more comfortable and normal now.
You may also find yourself being very nostalgic- deeply missing your host family, friends you made and the area you lived in. You may be looking back on your time in the US a lot and are sad when thinking about what you had and what you are now missing. You may find yourself realizing that words like ‘home’ or ‘family’ have now expanded to more than just one country or to more than just your immediate family which can be confusing too.
You be going through this stage a few times before eventually you are slowly starting to move to stage 3.
Stage 3
Recovery
Sooner or later, you will move on from stage 2 and start to move to a stage of acceptance and engagement. You will eventually re-integrate with your life at home and frustrations and confusions you had before may slowly become smaller and less significant. You likely will find new friends at home or re-establish connections with old ones and possibly slowly lose the tight contact with your friends from abroad as everyone is starting to re-establish their ‘new lives’. You are slowly starting to accept the things at home again and settle back in. You may start to study again, start a new job or have made the decision to embark on a new adventure somewhere else. You found new (or old) activities that you like to do and just start to feel more comfortable again. You start to set new goals and start working towards them and the sadness and frustration you experienced previously will slowly become less and less.
Stage 4
Adjustment
Yay! You made it and you have successfully overcome the worst parts of the reverse culture shock! You can look back on your time aboard positively now and don’t feel sad about it all the time anymore. Your time abroad will forever be a big part of your life and of who you are now and you can accept that you have changed and may not fully fit in anymore as you did before but that is okay as you are now able to understand and handle the situation better.