Office located at 722 West Maple Street, on the University of Arkansas Campus.
Returning Students
A Whole New World: Re-Entry Shock & Ideas to Continue Your Experience On Campus
You may experience reverse culture shock when your return home. You feelings may include disappointment, depression, or feelings of isolation upon your return. You have had an incredible experience and have grown a lot in the past months. Your friends have remained the same. They may get tired of hearing about your experience, or maybe you are having difficulty explaining the culture or why it was such a great experience. You may find yourself dreaming of returning or always comparing things in the U.S. to your host country.
Don’t worry! This is a common experience for study abroad alumni. We have some suggestions to help you stay connected with your experience in a positive way.
Click the links above to learn more about
Get connected with other students,
Share your stories and photos from abroad,
And check out the following Re-entry Reading Suggestions and Websites, courtesy of World Learning
Blak, Stewart & Gregrersen, Hal. (1999). So You’re Coming Home: The social dynamics of coming home. San Diego, CA: Global Business Publishers.
Citron and Mendlson “Relationships Roots and Unpacking” Transition Abroad Magazine July/August 2005 extracted on June 20th, 2008
Peace Corps. Peace Corps Odyssey: The voyage home. Washington, DC: Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, Office of Domestic Programs, 1997.Smith, C. D. (Ed.). Strangers at Home: Essays on the effects of living overseas and coming "home" to a strange land. Bayside, NY: Aletheia Publications, 1996.
Surviving Re-entry: An Adjustment Manual for Parents By Leonore Cavallero
Preparing to Return Home: Quick Tips By Dr. Bruce LaBrack
Surviving Cross-Cultural Re-entry Article By Stacey Woody Thebodo
What's Up with Culture? Website
Toolkit for Cross-Cultural Collaboration: The Toolkit discusses barriers to cross-cultural collaboration and provides methods for assessing and improving communication patterns and cultural competence on an organizational basis and on an individual basis. By improving cultural competence, trust and mutual respect can be improved between agencies and minority communities, forming a solid foundation for cross-cultural collaboration.