During your overseas experience, you would have collected the skills and knowledge to live, socialise, and work successfully with people from different backgrounds. It’s called intercultural competency and it’s a useful skill to have, both for your future career as well as future travel and friendships.
However, just as you had to accept the differences of the host culture when you arrived, you may begin to question some of the basic norms of your home country when you return. This is known as reverse culture shock.
-
Reverse Culture Shock?
Reverse culture shock involves the challenges of readjusting to life once you return home, and the cultural or social norms that come with it, as well as adapting to changes that occurred while you were away.
One of the key differences between culture shock (when you go away) and reverse culture shock (when you return home) is that we expect things to be different in a new country. When we return home to our everyday lives, we naturally expect that nothing will have changed. What we often fail to account for though, is just how much we’ve changed. We may no longer fill the same role we did before we left. This is perfectly natural, and it makes sense. Afterall, one of the reasons we travel and explore the world is so that we can grow and develop as people. If you’re feeling like you don’t quite ‘fit’ back in to your old life, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. On the contrary, in fact.
As well as this, your friends, family, and environment have been changing while you were away, and sometimes this can be hard to adapt to without feeling a little bit shocked or confused. These feelings are brought about by the inconsistency between your expectations of home and the reality. There will be events and in-jokes that you missed while you were abroad that are going to keep coming up – it can be easy to feel a little left out. You might also notice that your friends and family back home aren’t as excited about your travel stories as you are, which can feel hurtful. Again, this is pretty common, and another great reason to join up to programs like UniSA Buddies so you can share those memories (and create new ones) with like-minded people.
Remember that, like your initial feelings of culture shock when you arrived in your host city, these feelings will ebb and change with time, as you settle in to your home environment. In time, you’ll re-adjust to life at home and overcome any reverse culture shock.
Examples of Reverse Culture Shock:
- Feelings of embarrassment when you say or do something that was ‘normal’ in your host culture but not in your home country, such as greeting others or dressing differently.
- Feelings of alienation and mutual misunderstandings with friends and family, such as inside jokes from a party you couldn’t attend.
- Feeling annoyed or frustrated at something that changed while you were away, such as your favourite lunch spot closing down without you knowing.
- Feeling lonely or isolated, with those at home requiring you to make an effort to socialise and fit around their schedule, compared to socialising overseas with other students who had similar schedules and social needs.
- Experiencing the ‘travel blues’ and missing the excitement of constant new experiences while overseas, as you come back to your ‘regular’ home life and activities.
- Being shocked by any myths or misconceptions you had about home, such as comparing the cost of living or groceries after you return home which you might have though was ‘normal’ before.
- Frustration when dealing with systems that you can’t change, such as reacquainting yourself with Adelaide Metro after having witnessed the precision and cleanliness of Singapore’s MRT.
-
Strategies to Help
Like so many things, we’re all impacted by reverse culture shock in different ways, and to varying degrees. Coming home after time abroad doesn’t mean that you’ll always experience reverse culture shock, but it is important to know that it’s totally normal and very common for those returning home to feel this way.
Here are a few strategies that you can put in place to help overcome any negative effects of reverse culture shock, noting that you may discover more of your own:
- Prepare for it! Accept that reverse culture shock is a reality and do what you can to brace yourself, even if that means something as simple as allowing yourself to struggle a bit when you first get home. You can also talk to your friends and family about it in advance, and think about what might shock or surprise you once you come home.
- Organise activities and social catchups with loved ones back home in advance (particularly in the weeks after you come back) so you can jump back into your home life and help with any feelings of initial displacement or isolation.
- Make plans to visit your host country in one to two years’ time. Having a ‘bright spot’ to look forward to can make a huge difference. You could even think about bringing others from home so they can also experience it too, and meet your new local friends.
- Stay in touch with the people you met during your time overseas, and even openly talk about your reverse culture shock once you get home (and reminisce on your fun times together). Sharing your experiences, even negative ones, can help you overcome any negative feelings and help you still feel connected to your overseas friends.
- Reflect on your time overseas and any changes you’ve undergone:
- Go back through your journal, blog, or pictures
- Post on social media about your experience and how it has changed you
- Share your thoughts and pictures with others at home and talk about your experiences openly
- If you don’t have many pictures or written words to look at, just take some time to reflect internally on how much you’ve changed and overcome
- Get involved at home:
- Assist at events related to Global Opportunities, such as the student exchange workshops and information sessions. Speaking to others about your study overseas experience will not only help them in their own planning, but it will remind you of what you learned while you were abroad.
- Get involved with the UniSA Buddies to welcome incoming international exchange students to UniSA. Showing incoming students around Adelaide will allow you to start associating positive experiences with home again.
- Stay connected to the host culture:
- Keep up your language skills, even if just a few phrases
- Try to get your hands on items or products that you loved from your host country, e.g., makeup, drinks or foodstuffs
- Watch TV or movies, or listen to music in the language of your host country
- Make friends with people from your host country or join a club related to your host country. If one doesn’t already exist, start a USASA club. Go for it!
- Introduce friends and family to your host culture by planning events, such as a ‘Thanksgiving’, ‘Day of the Dead’, or ‘Diwali’ party
- Use similar strategies that you used to overcome culture shock in your host country:
- Find and experience new things at home
- Make plans with friends and family to create new positive experiences
- Get enough sleep and look after your wellbeing and health
- Establish a routine and find interesting things to put into that routine
- Be open-minded and willing to try new things and explore your hometown
- Ask for support and understanding from friends and family
- If you’re struggling, ask for formal support from mental health services or UniSA
- Remember that over time the feelings from reverse culture shock should subside. If they don’t, or if you’re really struggling, it’s time seek help from a professional
