by Ashley Murrell

 …every visit home becomes less fulfilling because I don’t understand what they are going through.

Culture shock, a phenomenon that occurs when one moves to a foreign country or rather, ‘host country’. This can be from travelling, studying abroad for higher education, family or careers circumstances. Everyone goes through it in their own way. However, what happens when that person returns to their home country? Reverse culture shock.

Unavoidable

Much like culture shock, reverse culture shock is unavoidable. Everyone processes these events differently, but the reality is that if you’ve travelled abroad for a significant amount of time (even a month), reverse culture shock is going to happen to you. It’s not a bad thing, it doesn’t physically hurt but the emotional strain it can cause might set you back a few weeks of adjusting to your home country.

Change happens

You’re going to feel excitement, anxiety and confusion on that return journey home. Where ever you’ve been for the past few weeks, months, or even years, they have had an effect on you as a person. You’ve changed, but what’s more important to prepare for is that everyone else back home, as well as your home itself has also changed. Perhaps you might have thought that life would stop once your left. Frozen in time waiting for your return, but it hasn’t. The worst part is that no one can prepare for unforeseen change. Understanding that it’s going to happen might help you mental prepare, but it’s still going to be difficult to process.

Staying strong

At first those around you will be interested in your experiences, however it’s also important to understand that they’ve had experiences whilst you’ve been away. Although your life has forever been changed, take a step back and realise that their lives have also changed, even if it wasn’t as drastic as yours. You might be ‘longing’ for your life abroad, but with time you’ll adjust to a routine of life back home. Staying strong within yourself as you fall back into normalities of work, family and friends will only help the transition process. Incorporating your time abroad will help you avoid putting it on a pedestal and viewing your current situation darkly or undesirably. The bottom line is that in the end, you are supposed to end up where you have. Use this point of reflection to determine where you’d like to go in the future. It can help figure out goals and determine what you want for your future either in your home country or if you’re really sure, abroad.

I’ve even experience reverse culture shock whilst living abroad. Friends are moving away from our college town, getting married and having children. Without me there to experience it with them, every visit home becomes less fulfilling because I don’t understand what they are going through. It’s been a roller coast ride being an international student and even with all the ‘shock’, it’s an experience I’m grateful it isn’t over yet

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Ashley Murrell is has an MA in Creative and Professional Writing, BA in English with a minor in Swedish.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.