Posted on Saturday, June 27th at 9:21pm
Hey peoples. I wanted to post this in anticipation of my return to the States in roughly 3 days from now. A lot of people don't know about reverse culture shock or that it can be more difficult for study abroad students to deal with returning home than it was dealing with the initial culture shock of living in a different country. I thought I would just post some research I've done on the subject and I want to ask for your guys' patience as I adjust to returning home after being abroad for 5 months.
Hey peoples. I wanted to post this in anticipation of my return to the States in roughly 3 days from now. A lot of people don't know about reverse culture shock or that it can be more difficult for study abroad students to deal with returning home than it was dealing with the initial culture shock of living in a different country. I thought I would just post some research I've done on the subject and I want to ask for your guys' patience as I adjust to returning home after being abroad for 5 months.
I love this place. I love Australia. I love the people and the environment and the beauty and the spontaneous adventures and the friends that I've made... Part of my heart belongs in this country now and I'm going to miss it like crazy.
"Re-entry shock is when you feel like you are wearing contact lenses in the wrong eyes. Everything looks almost right." -Robin Pascoe
Stages of Culture Shock
Stage 1: Disengagement - this begins before you leave the country. You begin thinking about re-entry and making your final preparations for your return home. You also begin to realize that it's time to say good-bye to your friends in the country and to the place you've come to call home. The hustle and bustle of finals, good-bye parties, and packing can intensify your feelings of sadness and frustration. You already miss the friends you've made, and you are reluctant to leave.
Stage 1: Disengagement - this begins before you leave the country. You begin thinking about re-entry and making your final preparations for your return home. You also begin to realize that it's time to say good-bye to your friends in the country and to the place you've come to call home. The hustle and bustle of finals, good-bye parties, and packing can intensify your feelings of sadness and frustration. You already miss the friends you've made, and you are reluctant to leave.
Stage 2: Initial Euphoria - this usually begins shortly before departure, and it is characterized by feelings of excitement and anticipation - even euphoria - about returning home. You may be very happy to see your family and friends again, and they are also happy to see you. The length of this stage varies, and often ends with the realization that most people are not as interested in your experiences abroad as you had hoped. They will politely listen to your stories for a while, but you may find that soon they are ready to move on to the next topic of conversation.
Stage 3: Irritability and hostility - You may experience feelings of frustration, anger, alienation, loneliness, disorientation, and helplessness and not understand why. You might quickly become irritated or critical of others and of U.S. culture. Depression, feeling like a stranger at home, and the longing to go back abroad are also not uncommon reactions. You may also feel less independent than you were in the country of your choice.
Stage 4: Readjustment and adaptation - Things will start to seem a little more normal again, and you will probably fall back into some old routines, but things won't be exactly the same as how you left them. You have most likely developed new attitudes, beliefs, habits, as well as personal and professional goals, and you will see things differently now.
Thanks for reading. Later peoples.
Thanks for reading. Later peoples.
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