Here are a few things to consider upon your return. First, you will need to participate in a post-trip session held each semester for students who have studied off-campus. You will be notified of the date by e-mail (Usually in September in the fall and January in the spring).

Returning from a time of travel and living overseas can be unexpectedly challenging and stressful. You have had experiences outside of what was possible at home. The new experiences have changed you in ways you may not even be aware of yet. As you adjust to being home you begin to realize you are different and the world you have returned to is also different. It takes time, energy and reflection to work through these changes. Following are some suggestions and ideas to help you with the process. You can also contact the Office of Global and Off-Campus programs to discuss issues and assist you with your return.

The following list was generated by interviewing students like you who have traveled and studied abroad, returned home and survived nicely. However, they say you should take the process seriously by being realistic and thinking about it and your possible reactions.

1. Boredom
After all the newness and stimulation of your time abroad, a return to family, friends, and old routines (however nice and comforting) can seem very dull. It is natural to miss the excitement and challenges which characterize study in a foreign country, but it is up to you to find ways to overcome such negative reactions - remember a bored person is also boring.

2. No One Wants to Hear
One thing you can count on upon your return: no one will be as interested in hearing about your adventures and triumphs as you will be in sharing those experiences. This is not a rejection of you or your achievements, but simply the fact that once they have heard the highlights, any further interest on your audiences’ part is probably unlikely. Be realistic in your expectations of how fascinating your journey is going to be for everyone else. Be brief.

3. You Can't Explain
Even when given a chance to explain all the sights you saw and feelings you had while abroad, it is likely to be at least a bit frustrating to relay them coherently. It is very difficult to convey this kind of experience to people who do not have similar frames of reference or travel backgrounds, no matter how sympathetic they are as listeners. You can tell people about your trip, but you may fail to make them understand exactly how or why you felt a particular way. It’s okay.

4. Reverse "Homesickness"
Just as you probably missed home for a time after arriving overseas, it is just as natural to experience some reverse homesickness for the people, places, and things that you grew accustomed to as a student overseas. To an extent it can be reduced by writing letters, e-mails, telephoning, skyping, using face book and generally keeping in contact, but feelings of loss are an integral part of international sojourns and must be anticipated and accepted as a natural result of time abroad. (Make sure you gather all the information needed to keep in touch.)

5. Relationships Have Changed
It is inevitable that when you return you will notice that some relationships with friends and family will have changed. Just as you have altered some of your ideas and attitudes while abroad, the people at home are likely to have experienced some changes. These changes may be positive or negative, but expecting that no change will have occurred is unrealistic. The best preparation is flexibility, openness, minimal preconceptions, and tempered optimism.

6. People See "Wrong" Changes
Sometimes people may concentrate on small alterations in your behavior or ideas and seem threatened or upset by them. Others may ascribe “bad” traits to the influence of your time abroad. These incidents may be motivated by jealousy, fear, or feelings of superiority or inferiority. To avoid or minimize them it is necessary to monitor yourself and be aware of the reactions of those around you, especially in the first few weeks following your return. This
phase normally passes quickly if you do nothing to confirm their stereotypes.

7. People Misunderstand
A few people will misinterpret your words or actions in such a way that communication is difficult. For example, what you may have come to think of as humor (particularly sarcasm, banter, etc.) and ways to show affection or establish conversation may not be seen as wit, but aggression or “showing off.” New clothing styles or mannerisms may be viewed as provocative or inappropriate, references to foreign places or language is often considered boasting. Be aware of how you may look to others and how your behavior is likely to be interpreted.

8. Feelings of Alienation
Sometimes the reality of being back “home” is not as natural or enjoyable as the place you had constructed as your mental image. When real daily life is less enjoyable or more demanding than you remembered, it is natural to feel some alienation, see faults in the society you never noticed before or even become critical of everyone and everything for a time. This is no different than when you first left home. Mental comparisons are fine, but keep them to yourself until you regain both your cultural balance and a balanced perspective.

9. Inability to Apply New Knowledge and Skills
Many returnees are frustrated by the lack of opportunity to apply gained social, technical, linguistic, and practical coping skills that appear unnecessary or irrelevant. To avoid ongoing annoyance: adjust to reality as necessary, change what is possible, be creative, be patient, and above all use the cross-cultural adjustment skills you acquired abroad to assist your own reentry.

10. Loss/Compartmentalization of Experience
Being home, coupled with the pressures of job, family, and friends, often combine to make returnees worried that somehow they will “lose” the experience, somehow becoming compartmentalized like souvenirs or photo albums kept in a box and only occasionally taken out and looked at. You do not have to let that happen: maintain your contacts abroad; talk to people who have had experiences similar to yours; practice your cross-cultural skills; continue language learning. Remember and honor both your hard work and the fun you had while abroad.

Adapted from a list created by Dr. Bruce La Brack, School of International Studies, University of the Pacific

 

Questions to Consider:

• What things will you miss most from your host country?
• What was your favorite food in your host country?
• How did your perceptions of your host country change during your time there?
• Who did you spend the most time with while abroad?
• What was your most embarrassing moment?
• What was your favorite thing to do on a Friday night?
• Why did you choose the country that you studied in?
• Would you make the same decision if you were doing it again?
• What food did you miss the most while you were away?
• What new expressions did you learn and adopt while abroad?
• When did you start to feel at home in your host country? Or did you?
• What personal changes resulted from your experience abroad?
• What did you most look forward to regarding returning to PC?
• What is the hardest part about returning?
• I think my family/friends expect me to…
• What I really want to say when someone asks “How was your trip?” is…
• What I generally say when someone asks, “How was your trip?” is…
• What I find the most difficult to communicate about my time abroad is…

Source:  Office of International Programs, Presbyterian College