When (Not) in Rome
Students Returning From Abroad Face Culture Shock
Kaitlin Wagner
Issue date: 12/12/09 Section: Feature
The thought of studying abroad for most students may seem a bit nerve-wracking. The language may be unfamiliar and the people might dress funny. There might even be a lack of Heinz Ketchup.
But what most students don't realize is that returning and adjusting back to an American lifestyle can be even harder than the initial adjustment to foreign customs. Immersing back into Miami culture can be just as uncomfortable as entering a different country's traditions.
It's called reverse culture shock.
Before Miami senior Riley Grimme left to live in Luxembourg last year, he and his friends spoke with former abroad students and staff members at MacMillan Hall. Their questions were based on the country they would be staying in, not about the experience coming home.Even the evaluation forms given to former abroad students only ask to provide feedback and advice from the actual stay, not any advice on what to expect when finally home.
Because these students live in a different culture for so long, the familiarity of home can suddenly seem strange.
Alyson Manley, a Miami senior who studied abroad in Luxembourg her second semester junior year, says when she came home, her glass of water felt too heavy. She was used to the European culture, which rarely provides ice in drinks.
Miami senior Stephanie LaCava, who lived in Japan her second semester junior year, drove her own car on the wrong side of the road because she was used to the Japanese driving on the left side.
And who knew European washing machines could fit so many clothes? Miami senior Rachael Steinbock, who studied in France for a semester, was lucky to cram five shirts into the wash upon returning to Oxford.
Besides adjusting to old habits, students returning from abroad have to adjust to their old friends.
Jennifer Wagner, a Miami senior who studied in Luxembourg her junior year, felt awkward and nervous to go out at night when she got back to Oxford. She felt like no one knew her anymore - like she had to reintroduce herself at the bars.
"Coming back to Miami after going abroad made me feel like I outgrew my friends, but not in a mean way," Manley confesses.
LaCava feels somewhat the same.
"If your friends haven't studied abroad, they don't understand," she says. "They can't wrap their minds around it. You can't just ask, 'How was abroad?' They want a simple answer and what you really need is to set aside an hour and talk about it."
Manley, Lacava and Steinbock believe that studying abroad changed their perceptions on life. They are no longer afraid to travel alone. They have more patience with others. The whole concept of living in a country other than their own gives them a feeling that they've accomplished something profound.
They say it's not always easy to expect friends who have stayed at Miami all four years to understand the experience. It's also hard to walk back into Miami expecting nothing to have changed, thinking they can just pick up with friends where they left off.
"Abroad made me realize how homogeneous our school is," says Miami senior Erin McGorry, who spent half her junior year in Sydney, Australia.
But unlike other students, McGorry was relieved to be back on Miami's campus. "After getting to know a lot of people in my program, I found that I didn't click with them as I did with my friends at Miami and that's one reason why I was so excited to come back," McGorry says. "It's the reason why my adjustment back at school was easy."
Over 1,500 Miami students study abroad each year, according to Miami's Office of International Education Web site. Of these, 900 travel for shortterm experiences (no more than six weeks), while the other 600 live in a country outside the US for either a semester or year at a time.
Some students purposely study abroad during the summer so they don't miss out on campus events.
This past summer, Miami senior John Sullivan traveled through Europe after deciding that a full semester abroad was too much of a commitment. After the summer experience, however, he can't decide if he would have preferred being gone a whole semester. "I go back and forth to be honest," Sullivan says. "There are definitely times when I'm glad I was in Oxford all four years, but by the time you're a junior, you start to fall into a bit of a routine. It would have been nice to switch it up a bit and have gone abroad first semester so that second semester would be refreshing."
Summer study abroad sessions can have their drawbacks too.
"Even though I did a summer trip, which was great, it was more of an extended vacation," Sullivan says. "I lived out of a suitcase instead of having the experience of immersing myself into a new culture."
Laura Yeager, a Miami sophomore planning to spend a semester next year in Rome, thinks the positives definitely outweigh the negatives when it comes to studying abroad.
"I'm a bit nervous to go abroad a full semester, only because I'm afraid of what I'll miss out on back in Oxford," Yeager says. "But I've been checking out Facebook albums from friends who are currently abroad, and it looks way more fun to travel to different countries every weekend rather than hang out at Pachinko's every Thursday, Friday … and Saturday night."
Regardless of whether or not students have a tough time adjusting to the Miami atmosphere after life in a different country, they can vent, for credit, thanks to the university's new course, "Study Abroad Reentry," or Interdisciplinary Studies 156.
It's a class where students can discuss their experiences abroad and how their perceptions changed once back on campus, teaching students how to deal with reverse culture shock, and hopefully, how to drive on the right side of the road again.
But what most students don't realize is that returning and adjusting back to an American lifestyle can be even harder than the initial adjustment to foreign customs. Immersing back into Miami culture can be just as uncomfortable as entering a different country's traditions.
It's called reverse culture shock.
Before Miami senior Riley Grimme left to live in Luxembourg last year, he and his friends spoke with former abroad students and staff members at MacMillan Hall. Their questions were based on the country they would be staying in, not about the experience coming home.Even the evaluation forms given to former abroad students only ask to provide feedback and advice from the actual stay, not any advice on what to expect when finally home.
Because these students live in a different culture for so long, the familiarity of home can suddenly seem strange.
Alyson Manley, a Miami senior who studied abroad in Luxembourg her second semester junior year, says when she came home, her glass of water felt too heavy. She was used to the European culture, which rarely provides ice in drinks.
Miami senior Stephanie LaCava, who lived in Japan her second semester junior year, drove her own car on the wrong side of the road because she was used to the Japanese driving on the left side.
And who knew European washing machines could fit so many clothes? Miami senior Rachael Steinbock, who studied in France for a semester, was lucky to cram five shirts into the wash upon returning to Oxford.
Besides adjusting to old habits, students returning from abroad have to adjust to their old friends.
Jennifer Wagner, a Miami senior who studied in Luxembourg her junior year, felt awkward and nervous to go out at night when she got back to Oxford. She felt like no one knew her anymore - like she had to reintroduce herself at the bars.
"Coming back to Miami after going abroad made me feel like I outgrew my friends, but not in a mean way," Manley confesses.
LaCava feels somewhat the same.
"If your friends haven't studied abroad, they don't understand," she says. "They can't wrap their minds around it. You can't just ask, 'How was abroad?' They want a simple answer and what you really need is to set aside an hour and talk about it."
Manley, Lacava and Steinbock believe that studying abroad changed their perceptions on life. They are no longer afraid to travel alone. They have more patience with others. The whole concept of living in a country other than their own gives them a feeling that they've accomplished something profound.
They say it's not always easy to expect friends who have stayed at Miami all four years to understand the experience. It's also hard to walk back into Miami expecting nothing to have changed, thinking they can just pick up with friends where they left off.
"Abroad made me realize how homogeneous our school is," says Miami senior Erin McGorry, who spent half her junior year in Sydney, Australia.
But unlike other students, McGorry was relieved to be back on Miami's campus. "After getting to know a lot of people in my program, I found that I didn't click with them as I did with my friends at Miami and that's one reason why I was so excited to come back," McGorry says. "It's the reason why my adjustment back at school was easy."
Over 1,500 Miami students study abroad each year, according to Miami's Office of International Education Web site. Of these, 900 travel for shortterm experiences (no more than six weeks), while the other 600 live in a country outside the US for either a semester or year at a time.
Some students purposely study abroad during the summer so they don't miss out on campus events.
This past summer, Miami senior John Sullivan traveled through Europe after deciding that a full semester abroad was too much of a commitment. After the summer experience, however, he can't decide if he would have preferred being gone a whole semester. "I go back and forth to be honest," Sullivan says. "There are definitely times when I'm glad I was in Oxford all four years, but by the time you're a junior, you start to fall into a bit of a routine. It would have been nice to switch it up a bit and have gone abroad first semester so that second semester would be refreshing."
Summer study abroad sessions can have their drawbacks too.
"Even though I did a summer trip, which was great, it was more of an extended vacation," Sullivan says. "I lived out of a suitcase instead of having the experience of immersing myself into a new culture."
Laura Yeager, a Miami sophomore planning to spend a semester next year in Rome, thinks the positives definitely outweigh the negatives when it comes to studying abroad.
"I'm a bit nervous to go abroad a full semester, only because I'm afraid of what I'll miss out on back in Oxford," Yeager says. "But I've been checking out Facebook albums from friends who are currently abroad, and it looks way more fun to travel to different countries every weekend rather than hang out at Pachinko's every Thursday, Friday … and Saturday night."
Regardless of whether or not students have a tough time adjusting to the Miami atmosphere after life in a different country, they can vent, for credit, thanks to the university's new course, "Study Abroad Reentry," or Interdisciplinary Studies 156.
It's a class where students can discuss their experiences abroad and how their perceptions changed once back on campus, teaching students how to deal with reverse culture shock, and hopefully, how to drive on the right side of the road again.
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