Answers From Amsterdam: Part Ten (Final)
Have you experienced any particular incident of culture shock (difficulty adjusting to a new culture) and if so, how did you handle it?
When I was first researching the option of study abroad and going through the overly complicated application process the phrase “culture shock” was thrown around quite a bit. I heard it from my study abroad advisor and in meetings hosted by ETSU’s International Office to familiarize students with issues they may encounter while abroad. According to the standard culture shock graph, the first few weeks are the honeymoon phase in which everything is new and exciting. Then comes the negotiation phase in which one tries to reconcile the differences between their home and host country; a period often associated with homesickness and depression. After a few months, one becomes accustomed to their host country and begins to feel comfortable in everyday life. Finally, there is a second wave of culture shock upon returning home.
Written Last November 2010
But I think the whole process applies to everyone in a different way. If you’re more open to change and new environments (as I feel I am), then you may tend to skip stages of culture shock. For instance, either I’m still in the honeymoon phase (which I can surely say I’m not) or I’m already in the adjustment phase in that I feel comfortably acquainted with life in the Netherlands. While I miss friends and family, I’ve in no way felt ‘homesick’ or ‘depressed.’ I think those states of mind are the result of not holding the right perspective on life. Some might say that I’ve only been away from the States for three months, so I guess I’ll have a better answer to this question in six or nine months. But something I’ve thought a good deal about is returning to the U.S. and how that will feel. I think if there is any culture shock to come, it will be upon arriving back in the States.
Written July 2011
Being abroad for nearly a year is a long time. I’ve missed birthdays of friends and family, weekends at the lake, hanging out with friends, and countless things I have yet to realize I missed. I find myself wondering what will have changed more upon arriving back in the States: me or everyone at home?
While I wrote the above nearly eight months ago, my general feelings regarding cultural shock have not changed. The main difference has been the past month or so since classes in Amsterdam have ended. I find myself with more free time, and likewise find myself thinking more and more about how my time here is coming to an end.
The main reminder that the end is near is the constant final parties, goodbye dinners, etc that seem to be occurring on a weekly basis as the friends I’ve made over the course of the year leave Amsterdam one by one to return to their home countries. I wouldn’t classify it as a period of depression, but more of a period of unsettledness as I recall the memories and experiences of the past year and anxiety about returning home where I’ll have to find some way to explain everything I’ve felt and experienced while abroad.
Though I’ll dearly miss the unique atmosphere of Amsterdam (my home away from home), my flatmates and other close friends, and the exhilaration of traveling to new countries, I’m also looking forward to returning home to friends, family, and things that make America…well so American.
Link reblogged from can't Dutch this with 18 notes
can't Dutch this: How to welcome home your study abroad student →
I found this to be a pretty useful article concerning re-entry after studying abroad. I am posting it for is for my friends, family, and fellow study abroad participants to read and share. I would like to hear from people who have already made a transition and/or people who will return home soon…
Originally posted by a fellow American-abroad-in-Hollander (took a few grammatical liberties with that conglomerate), but hits a few points that have come up in my thoughts and conversations as of late, specifically numbers 3 & 8. Even though I still have over two months before returning to the states, I’m already realizing how much I’ve come to love my home across the pond and how difficult it will be to leave such a constantly evolving and stimulating environment populated with a diverse amount of amazing people. (Follow the link above for the article)
In other news, I’ve finished my finals. Both were this morning…let’s just say my brain feels like it’s been neuken’d (I’ll let you use your inferential skills on that last word…).
