Do not worry! This is absolutely normal! It’s called ‘reverse cultural shock’ and, although it is not that investigated, it is very common and it happens when you are back to your regular life. You do not expect it to happen as you know your culture but you have changed. And this changes it all. After an initial excitement, you experience rejection and some kind of discomfort. You learned a different way of doing and approaching things that you now consider better than in your own native culture. It is a tough period, for you, your family and friends: they often feel criticised or are tired of listening to your stories, and you have adjustment difficulties. No worries, it is a matter of time. Meanwhile, let’s see how you can better cope with this situation.
- The first step is embracing the change! You are not the same, you grew up, you learned new things and probably embedded some habits of your hosting country. Do not fight over an allegedly superiority of this or that lifestyle. Our identities change, it just happened faster! The good news is that you are a richer person! You can move back and forth between the two cultures!
- Although you might feel a bit lonely, you are not the only one who came back from an exchange. Besides calling your Erasmus friends, you might get into contact with other peers who were abroad for a semester. Or, even better, you can start volunteering for an association representing and supporting international students such as ESN!
- If your university organises some Erasmus info day for outgoing students, consider offering your testimonial! Your experience will be extremely valuable: it might convince those who are still uncertain about going on exchange and it might help the preparation of those who bought already a one-way ticket!
Learn more about the competences by visiting the Competence inventory.