Study Abroad Alum Tells Us, "It's Okay to Come Home"

Studying abroad is an exciting, educational, and transformational experience that changes lives forever. But after falling in love with a new city and country, it can be difficult to return home. Your thoughts and feelings about your life abroad may be frustrating to communicate to friends and family as you experience reverse homesickness (missing people and places from abroad), uncertainty, or maybe even withdrawal. The re-entry period isn’t easy, but there are ways to overcome reverse culture shock.

CIEE Study Abroad alum Alexandria Polanosky experienced this transition period herself and tells us “It’s Okay to Come Home” in her recent article for The Huffington Post blog. The Ohio University student spent a semester in Stellenbosch, South Africa, exploring the area and blogging like a true budding visual journalist. A year later, study abroad is still on her mind as she writes for College Tourist as a Summer Travel Blogger Team Member. We interviewed Alexandria to learn more about her experience abroad and her thoughts on re-entry:

What motivated you to write this article about re-entry, a year after returning from study abroad?

After working in my university's study abroad office upon returning from my time abroad with CIEE, I wanted to continue sharing my travel experiences as well as trying my best to inspire other students to take advantage of the many study abroad opportunities we have available to us. So, this past summer, I was part of College Tourist's summer travel bloggers.

Returning home after traveling has always been something I struggle with, and I spent a long time reflecting on why I should embrace coming home while also appreciating the experience I had. This article was both my way of accepting coming home and sharing these feelings with other student travelers that likely experience the same difficulties.

In the article, you encourage other study abroad returnees to take their spontaneity and curiosity that they had abroad and use it to explore their hometowns. Is this something you did yourself? How do you think this helps with the re-entry process?

If my time abroad taught me anything, it was to embrace the spontaneous side of myself that I previously pushed away. I learned to enjoy every single moment no matter where I was. I definitely adopted this idea at home as I continue to find new places to visit and explore. No matter how cold and cloudy it may get here, I have learned to enjoy it just as much as the sunny, beautiful town of Stellenbosch, South Africa I spent so much time in a few years ago.

Embracing spontaneity and never ceasing to search for new adventures at home can definitely help with the re-entry process. I think a lot of the fear of returning home comes from the thought of facing familiarity after experiencing so many new things and believing that your days won't be nearly as exciting as they were abroad. Overcoming this fear by making an effort to rediscover your hometown can be a great way to deal with re-entry.

What other advice would you give to recently returned study abroad participants?

For any recently returned study abroad students, I would definitely encourage you to share your experiences with others, good and bad! Traveling and studying abroad is a big unknown for many people and can seem scary or unattainable. Sharing experiences and advice, like how to pay for studying abroad, can help encourage other students to pursue such wonderful opportunities. You might also find that many other students struggled with the same aspects of re-entry as you. Also, try to keep in touch with any friends you made abroad; it’s fun to see where everyone's lives take them after the end of the semester or year. For those who have not yet returned home, don't let the return date on your plane ticket scare you. Enjoy every bit of today!

Have something to share about YOUR international exchange or re-entry experience? Email us to find out how you can share your story on the CIEE Alumni blog.