You are fresh off the plane and looking forward to sharing your experience abroad with a great enthusiasm of culture experienced abroad. You expected to have a bit of culture shock while abroad but probably didn’t account for what you’d feel like when you return.

You’ve experienced something that opened your mind, your perspective of the world, and the possibility of traveling more of the world. When coming home back to familiar surroundings you should account for a similar adjustment coming home as you did when you went away. Emotionally, mentally, academically, you have matured and changed, and many of your friends and family are exactly the same as when you left. Consider this when trying to adjust to being home. These feelings are very common and don’t go away overnight.

Causes of such feelings...

• length of stay
• opportunity to visit home
• frequency of keeping in touch with family and friends
• quality of experience
• maturation
• how received at home upon return

Helpful Tips...

• stay in touch with your friends from your program/ plan reunion events
• journal your travel experience
• share your experiences abroad as well as your re-entry experiences with other study abroad participants and other university students wanting information about your program
• get involved in local, international, and cultural activities

Developmental Changes
Common changes from being abroad:

• improved foreign language skills
• diverse cultural knowledge and communication skills
• greater ability to empathize with others of different cultures
• greater understanding your strength and weaknesses
• increased self confidence
• increased assertiveness
• greater capacity to accept differences in others
• increased awareness in other cultures
• increased flexibility
• more adventurous  
• new outlook
• increased patience
• changed values and beliefs
• open-mindedness
• maturity
• adaptability