Richmond Alumni Kelly Pertzsch writes "reverse culture shock" article for Global Studies magazine

19/03/2007

Richmond Alumni Kelly Pertzsch writes "The truth about reverse culture shock" article for Global Studies magazine

Global Studies Magazine 4.2

For college graduates two of the most frightening words in the English language are “what next”. The prospect of closing the chapter on the past four years of essays, exams, and late night cramming sessions is a cause of great excitement, but can also be a source of immense anxiety. The questions are seemingly limitless – “Should I go to graduate school or work? Where should I apply? Where do I want to live? What do I want to do with the rest of my life?” – but the answers often prove elusive. For students completing their degree outside of their home country the story is no different. It is however slightly more complicated. With few students being able to avoid a one-way ticket home, reverse culture shock is imminent. But the goods news is that it does not have to be permanent.

As is often the case, the hardest challenge for those experiencing reverse culture shock is to admit that there is a problem. After a long, uphill struggle to find a way to stay many students return to their home country begrudgingly with the idea that it will only be a temporary move. They recall all of the reasons why they left in the first place. They remember all the times they returned home during breaks and felt like an outsider because no one understood their experiences or wanted to hear about them. Simply put, they cannot imagine a permanent move back to the country they left behind by choice. Not wanting to leave their new home and with aspirations of a speedy return, they board a plane and return to the old one.

Once re-immersed in their old culture, the reality of the situation often hits hard. Life has moved on without them. Friends and family have stories and lives of their own. New cultural norms have developed that they are not accustomed to. What is more, many are returning from large metropolitan cities, such as Paris or London, to small suburban areas and now find it difficult to adjust to a slower pace of life. Having changed their own habits, feelings, and beliefs, some are even viewed as snobby or pretentious because of their references to “foreign things” or their new vocabulary. Frustration and alienation begin to settle in, and they often feel like strangers in their native country.
However, in time, things begin to turn around. They start to feel less defensive and guarded about their experiences abroad. To relieve their itching feet, some move to other parts of the country and discover as one American student returning from four years in London did, that “people are always so bored with where they are from, and stop seeing the magic in it”, but they are able learn to appreciate the beauty of home and to see it from an outsider’s perspective. Eventually they begin to feel comfortable again. They learn to appreciate all of the things they took for granted when they moved away, while at the same time incorporating this new found appreciation with the experiences they had abroad.

Conquering reverse culture shock can be a long, painstaking process, and patience is required. For many, time spent studying abroad changes their entire outlook on life and as they readjust to their home country they must reconcile that new perspective with a changed lifestyle. For others, returning home signifies an unwelcome change. The challenge lies in turning this often unwanted move into a positive experience. Whatever the case may be, reverse culture shock is a widespread phenomenon which inevitably leaves one stronger and better equipped to be successful in an ever changing world.

Kelly Pertzsch is Admissions Officer at Richmond The American International University in London

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/220.aspx