Welcome Back!

And welcome to the large—and expanding—community of CIEE program alumni.

If your High School Abroad program ended less than a month ago and you haven’t yet completed your Online Student Evaluation, please do so—we value your opinion and want to hear it.

REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

Upon returning home, you were undoubtedly happy to see your friends and family, and glad to be back in familiar territory. At times, though, your inability to communicate all of your thoughts and feelings about your life abroad may be frustrating. It might also prove difficult to reconcile the life you lived abroad with the way you live in the US.

These feelings can manifest themselves in a number of ways, including:

  • Reverse homesickness—missing people and places from abroad
  • Boredom, insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, frustration
  • Need for excessive sleep
  • Feelings of alienation, withdrawal, or resistance toward family and friends

This phenomenon is known as “reverse culture shock” or “re-entry shock.” And while it may not be as significant as the initial shock you experienced when going overseas, reverse culture shock can be more upsetting because it’s often unexpected.

During this transition period, it’s important to keep in touch with fellow High School Abroad alumni. Together you can provide a great support system for one another. They will be interested in your experiences and will share your feelings about being back home.

As with initial culture shock, it will take time and effort to make a successful readjustment. Not only have you learned about another culture, you're also gained greater insight into yourself and your own culture.

Suggestions for overcoming reverse culture shock are:

  • Get involved in groups or activities in your community or on your new college campus that are international in focus or help you pursue an interest you acquired while overseas.
  • If you learned a new language while studying abroad, try to keep it up. Join a conversation group or seek out international students with whom you can speak the language. They will welcome the opportunity to speak their native tongue and, as fellow international students, will enjoy sharing common experiences.
  • Start thinking about how you can most effectively utilize your international experience.
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