Re-entry Guide

Re-entry Advice

• Acknowledge re-entry as a part of you overseas experience. It is easier to deal with the mood swings that often accompany reverse culture shock if you are aware that it is normal to have these feelings. Almost all returnees experience some adjustment difficulties.

• Before you return home, prepare yourself for the adjustment by connecting with family and friends. Also, find out what’s happening in the US. Stations such as CNN are available word-wide, and many newspapers are available on the World-Wide Web.

• It takes time to get used to being back home, and it can be quite stressful. Do not try to jump back into your old life. If possible, give yourself a few “transitional” days to relax and reflect before returning to a busy schedule. 

• If you do find that you are experiencing a great deal of stress, practice stress management techniques: exercise, maintain a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, etc.

• Keep a journal. This will help you make sense out of what your are feeling, how you have changed, and what you have gained from your time abroad.

• Educate your family and friends back home about the process of culture shock and reverse culture shock. It will help if they understand what you are experiencing and why.

• Keep in contact with the friends you made in your host country through phone calls, letters, email, etc.

• Continue to explore the hew hobbies and interests you developed abroad. Look for ways to use new skills you may have acquired in your host country. Integrate the new you with the old.

• Find ways to share your experience with others. Make yourself available to advise other students who will be studying abroad in your host country. Remember that they are going through the same process of cultures shock and adjustment that you did while abroad. You can learn a lot from one another and help each other in the process. Join clubs or organizations that have ties to your host country or that have an international focus.

• If you find that you miss your host country, see films, eat food, listen to music, etc., from that country. Also, look at your photo album and reread your travel journal.

• Remember the importance of having a support system. It is particularly helpful to form a support group of people who have been through similar experiences. Get together regularly and discuss your time spent abroad and your feelings about being back home. If you still find you are having a great deal of difficulty, seek help from a counselor, psychologist, or study abroad advisor knowledgeable in this area.

• Be patient! Re-entry may take some time, but most returnees find the process to be a valuable experience leading to personal growth and increased self-knowledge.

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