Study Abroad

SA Coming Home

Coming Home

When coming home, it may end up being difficult for you to adjust to the everyday lifestyle you used to live. Don't worry, this is completely normal and usually happens to most people that do study abroad. This feeling is called reverse culture shock and can be a tougher adjustment than studying abroad in the first place. When experiencing reverse culture shock, you have to remember that you have changed as a person and have become accustomed to living in another culture. Some of the common problems that people who are going through reverse culture shock face are criticizing the way things are done, comparing everything to your travels, not wanting to meet or get to know new people, and spending unusual amounts of time to move or travel abroad. One way to prevent this from happening is being open minded when you come home and not compare everything to where you studied abroad. Cultures differ from one another, but it does not necessarily mean that one is better or worse than the other. As you start to readjust to your home life, you can make your own judgements and decide for yourself which culture may have it better or worse. This readjustment can last up to 6 months after coming home, but it does vary depending on how prepared you are with deal with the different lifestyle change you will go through. When you come home, it's time to adapt and use the information that you have gained in your journey to help develop who you are as a person in the future.