• Fitting back in. I knew I changed and wasn’t sure how my family would react to my differences
• Readjusting to manners and food
• Being treated like a child after having experienced a lot of freedom and independence
• Example: I was frustrated coming home because I felt like I didn’t have any freedom. While in Barcelona, my friends and I planned several trips on our own including Rome, Venice and Paris. However, the following month when I came home I constantly had to ask permission to leave my house – even to go to the local convenient store. I was so frustrated and didn’t know how to respond or react to such differences. This was neither my parents fault nor my fault, but an example of difficulties readjusting to life at home.

• Reaction of your old friends to the “new me.” Some friend may not react the way you want them to.
• Having to make new friends with younger classes because old friends have graduated
• Difficulty being able to pick up old friendships when you’ve changed and/or they’ve changed
• Friends may seem uninterested when you talk about your experiences
• Example: Some of my friends initially seem interested. When I showed them pictures they were engaged for the first three pictures, but the last 1,997 they lost all interest. It may seem like they just don’t care about your experience. It can get frustrating trying to communicate how important the last 4-5 months were for you to some one who seems to care less. This may produce some
• tension, but try to be understanding. Ask them about their past semester too.

• Feeling like you need to make up a missed semester or year
• Example: Sometimes I feel like I skipped a year. In the beginning of the year when people asked me what year I was, I responded by saying “Junior” instead of “Senior.” That year was such a big part of my life, but it seems like now that I am back at Messiah I should just pick up where I left off. It takes some adjusting to after being away for a semester or a year.
• Adjusting to coursework and course load and American teaching styles.
• Getting used to multiple choice tests was an adventure for me! After spending a year writing papers (in Spanish) and writing essay questions for tests (in Spanish), the idea of a scantron just seemed foreign to me.

• Mixing foreign language (Spanish) with English.
• Example: About a week after I came back from Barcelona, I went up to the window at the Wendy’s drive thru and began speaking in Spanish. They did not respond and I was so confused why they weren’t taking my order. It eventually dawned on me that I wasn’t in Spain or Ecuador anymore. Needless to say I was asked to leave the restaurant because they couldn’t understand me. I could only laugh at myself after that!
• Losing the ability to speak Spanish well. I just wanted to speak Spanish all the time just like I did when I was abroad. Over time I felt like I was losing it and I had to understand that I would have to work harder now at keeping up my skills.

• Missing host family and friends
• Wanting to maintain new attitudes amidst the shock
• Catching up on missed news and developments
• Feeling more like the host country than your home country
• Missing foods, favorite items/events and the way of life in host country

• Depressed: wanted to be alone. Feeling like no one understands how you are feeling.
• Uncertain: changing goals and priorities. Studying abroad opens your mind to the world. Thus, sometimes it may affect how you prioritize and set goals for yourself.
• Confused: so many emotions towards your new surroundings whether it be your Messiah, home or the USA.
• Restlessness: reverse homesickness – wanting to go back. May be frustrating because you looked forward to coming home to reunite with family and friends, but now you want to go back.

The experiences you may be feeling are not a one time thing. They may develop over time or reoccur at inopportune times. For me, it is nine months since I have returned from my travels abroad and although some of the reverse culture shock has subsided, sometimes I still feel like I am transitioning back. For example, after living over a year abroad with constant change and adventure, Jterm felt like such a bore to me. I was ready for an adventure, change. My friends and I went to Paris on a whim. We organized it in about a week and had a blast. I just realized this Jterm that there’s no where really exciting to plan to go on a whim. Harrisburg, maybe? This is something I’m still trying to adjust to.

A lot of my friends graduated and some of my relationships changed. At times I felt like an “outsider.” I became really good friends with the people I studied abroad with. We try to stay involved by joining clubs, going to ethnic restaurants, reading books about our host country and visiting other friends nearby that studied abroad with us. This has helped us hold on to the great experiences we had and relive the adventures.

Sometimes after spending a semester in a foreign place, your values and beliefs may change. Know that this is OK and a very important part of maturing as an individual. Just make sure that you don’t compromise your new values once you settle in at home; rather, take what you learned and incorporate that into every day life. For example, after a year abroad I value relationships so much more now. Before, I remember investing my time in a million activities and school work to the point where my relationships sometimes suffered. While abroad I saw how highly both the Ecuadorians and Spaniards valued relationships. This is one thing that I wanted to emulate. Rather than just flying by with a quick: “How are you?” I try to invest quality time with friends, pushing aside superficial relationships and seeking deeper, more meaningful relationships.

Don’t let the semester abroad be just something you did once upon a time. Try to keep up your relationships by writing, calling or sending pictures once in a while.

Learn to gradually increase the pace of your academic studies and extracurricular activities. Maybe the “old ways” of managing your time and stress do not work anymore. Talk to advisors, study abroad alumni or other close faculty and staff. Even if they can’t give you advice, talking is always good.

Most students experience stress readjusting to the culture here in the United States. This is not necessarily a bad thing – sometimes the more you immersed yourself in a host culture the more difficult you may find reentry. Maybe talk to someone who can update you on the changes on campus, locally and nationally while you were away.

In other words: relive your experiences! Talk with people you traveled with. Remind each other of fun, exciting memories. Tell stories, reflect, ponder and WRITE! Don’t forget your experiences!