Difference makes the world go round: Every culture, every neighborhood, every family, has a different way of doing things. Keeping an open mind and a positive attitude about those differences is crucial to your study abroad experience. Try new things: Be spontaneous! Be adventurous! Don't be afraid to experiment. This is an opportunity to eat things you have never eaten and see places you've never seen. Be open and friendly: Remember that happiness is catching. If you are positive and outgoing people will respond to you. Keep in mind that you are both an academic student and a student of the world. Learn from and about the new people you meet.

Heather O’Brien, Camille Booth, Robin Warfel (ISA)
Seville, Spain (Spring 2006)

What is culture shock?

Culture shock is a type of homesickness. The term refers to the stresses and strains which accumulate from being forced to meet one's everyday needs (e.g. language, climate, food, cleanliness, companionship) in unfamiliar ways. Some symptoms of culture shock are: frustration, mental fatigue, disorientation about how to work with and relate to others, boredom, lack of motivation, and sometimes physical discomfort. When you leave home and all the things that are familiar, you encounter many new and confusing situations. These situations naturally create stress; the reaction to this stress is called "culture shock."

Jennifer Tennille (Arcadia): New Zealand (Fall 2007)


Some of the differences between life at home and life in a new place are obvious:
• language
• climate
• religion
• food
• educational system
• absence of family and close ties
Other differences are not as obvious:
• how students relate to teachers
• styles of communication
• personal space
These differences cause feelings of uncertainty and anxiety:
• feeling isolated or alone
• sleeping too much or tiring easily
• finding it difficult to sleep
• suffering body pains, especially in the head, neck, back and stomach
• wanting to return home
• avoiding contact with host nationals and only wanting to spend time with those from you own culture
• anxiety

Sigi-Blu Zweiban (Arcadia): Goldsmiths (Fall 2006)
All of these uncertainties . . . and more . . . are confusing. You may also feel that you don't know what to do in certain situations. Probably you did not think about these things at home because you knew what to do and what to expect. You also knew how other people acted and thought. In other words, you understood "the rules" and "the signs." Life was easier at home. Your body and your mind may react in unusual ways to the stress and confusion of living in a new culture. Difficulties occur in various situations: where to sit on the bus, how and when to tip, when to accept and refuse invitations, etc. It is very important to understand that these reactions are normal. You are not ill. It is a temporary situation for people who are adjusting to life in a new environment and it is inevitable to some degree.

States of Cultural Adjustment        Amanda Hope (SIT): Cape Town, South Africa (Fall 2007)

• Initial Excitement: Everything seems fabulous and exciting. You've been thinking about this experience for so long and you're finally here. This could last from a week to a full month.

• Grumpy, Irritable and perhaps Hostile: During this period you start to experience the cultural differences and you can begin to focus on these differences. It is easy during this stage to blow small things out of proportion.

• Beginning to Adjust: Now you are beginning to understand how to respond in certain situations and you begin to pickup on the cultural clues. You start to feel less isolated and become more comfortable in the culture.

• Adapting to the culture or bi-culturalism-During this period you find yourself enjoying a number of aspects of this new culture. In fact when you return you will find that you miss a number of these new ways of doing things.

What are some tips to combat culture shock and make the most of my time abroad?

Andrew Guss (Arcadia): Athens, Greece (Spring 2006)



Practice makes perfect: Attempting to speak the local language will bring you closer to the people of your host country and is bound to open up opportunities.

Take the initiative: Making friends can initially be one of the most difficult aspects of living abroad. Eventually, it will also be one of the most rewarding. Returned students suggest getting involved any way possible: volunteering, joining clubs or sports, teaching English.

Be prepared to be an Ambassador: For many people you meet abroad, you will be "the American". Students in other countries are more politically aware, as a rule, than students in the United States. They may involve you in heated political discussions.

How to Combat Re-entry Shock
What can you do to prepare to return home? Being aware of the reentry process and following some advice from those who have already returned can facilitate your reentry. The following list is compiled from many sources, but all of the tips come from returnees who have offered these ideas in the hope of making your initial reentry easier for you and for those at home. They are offered to you as things to consider as you prepare to return from study abroad. First, say goodbye. Then:

1. Mentally prepare for the adjustment process: The more you consider your alternatives, think about what is to come, and know about why returning home is both similar to and different from going abroad, the easier the transition will be. Anticipating is useful. As one psychologist put it, "Worrying helps.” However, obsessing does not, so be prepared -not paranoid!

2. Allow yourself time: Reentry is a process that will take time, just as adjusting to a new foreign culture required a period of acculturation. Give yourself time to relax and reflect upon what is going on around you, how you are reacting to it, and what you might like to change. Give yourself permission to ease into the transition.

3. Understand that the familiar will seem different: You will have changed, home has changed, and you will be seeing familiar people, places, and behaviors from new perspectives. Some things will seem strange, perhaps even unsettling. Expect to have some new emotional and psychological responses to being home. Everyone does.

4. There will be some "cultural catching up" to do: Some linguistic, social, political, economic, entertainment, and current event topics may be unfamiliar to you. New academic programs or regulations, slang expressions, popular culture references, recent events, and even major social changes may have emerged since you left. You may have some learning to do about your own culture. The longer you have been gone, the more you may have to discover, and the more noticeable it will be to others that you are not culturally fully up-to-speed. Approach this challenge in the same way you approached culture learning overseas, with a sense of humor and an open mind.
Katie Hunter (SBC-JYF): Paris, France (Fall 2003)

5. Reserve judgments: Just as you had to keep an open mind when first encountering the culture of a new foreign country, try to resist the natural impulse to make snap decisions and judgments about people and behaviors once back home. Mood swings are common at first, and your most valuable and valid analysis of events is likely to take place after allowing some time for thorough reflection. Most returnees report gaining major insights into themselves and their home countries during reentry, but only after allowing a sufficient period of time for reflection and self-analysis.

6. Respond thoughtfully and slowly: Quick answers and impulsive reactions often characterize returnees. Frustration, disorientation, and boredom in the returnee can lead to behavior that is incomprehensible to family and friends. Take some time to rehearse what you want to say and how you will respond to predictable questions and situations; prepare to greet those that are less predictable with a calm, thoughtful approach.

If you find yourself being overly defensive or aggressive in responding to those around you, it is probably time to take a deep breath and relax. It is tempting when asked for the twentieth time, “How was London?” to sarcastically reply, “Very British!” but the momentary satisfaction will do little to open a real communication channel. As always, thinking before answering is a good strategy.

7. Cultivate sensitivity: Showing an interest in what others have been doing while you have been on your adventure overseas is a sure way to reestablish rapport. Much annoyance with returnees results from the perception that returnees are so anxious to tell their stories and share their experiences that they are not interested in what happened to those who stayed at home. This is ironic because one of the most common frustrations reported by returnees is that those at home only ask superficial questions (e.g., So how was it?) and want short answers. Returnees see this as a lack of opportunity to express their feelings fully. In such circumstances, being as good a listener as a talker is a key ingredient in mutual sharing and you may need to practice those skills upon return.

8. Beware of comparisons: Making comparisons between cultures and nations is natural, particularly after residence abroad. However, a person must be careful not to be seen as too critical of home or too lavish in praise of things foreign. A balance of good and bad features is probably more accurate and certainly less threatening to others. The tendency to become an "instant expert" is to be avoided at all costs.

9. Remain flexible: Keeping as many options open as possible is an essential aspect of a successful return home. Attempting to re-socialize totally into old patterns and networks can be difficult, but remaining aloof is isolating and counterproductive. What you want to achieve is a balance between resuming and maintaining earlier patterns and enhancing your social and intellectual life with new friends and interests.

10. Seek support networks: There are lots of people back home who have gone through their own reentry process and both understand and empathize with a returnee's concerns. Returnees may find it useful to seek out people with international living experience such as academic faculty, exchange students, Peace Corps, volunteers, international development staff, diplomatic or military personnel, church mission officials, and those doing business internationally. University study abroad and international student offices may also be places where returnees can find support and empathy as they go through the reentry process.

Adapted from materials originally developed by Dr. Bruce La Brack, School of International Studies, University of the Pacific for the Institute of International Education, San Francisco.

Work/Volunteer Abroad
Students who studied abroad for a semester at Whittier frequently look for ways to get back abroad, whether it be for a week, a summer, semester or year. There are several ways, aside for a mere vacation to make this happy. There are many resources out there to help students find graduate schools abroad, volunteer opportunities as well as work abroad:

• www.bunac.org: Work, volunteer, teach abroad
• www.transitionsabroad.com: work, graduate school and living
• www.idealist.org: Volunteer, work or intern abroad
• www.icemenlo.com/index.shtml: work and intern abroad
• www.crossculturalsolutions.org: 1-12 week programs abroad
• www.interexchange.org: internships and work abroad Lesley Cole (Syracuse): Bern, Switzerland (Fall 2006)

Leah Sigler (CC-CS): Corduba, Argentina (Fall 2007)




Anthony Prechtl (UI): Reykjavík, Iceland
(Fall 2006)