My previous blog post inspired me to write a post about reverse culture shock. In short, this means difficulty of adapting back to home country’s culture and values after spending a long time abroad. The longer time you spend abroad the more severe this culture shock usually is. After my exchange year I experienced it myself and coping with it was quite a long process to be honest. I hope that sharing my experiences will help people to cope better with a reverse culture shock they might be experiencing even without noticing it.

Going on exhange

In 2016, I moved to Germany to study abroad. I can still remember how good I felt at my new flat in Germany. After spending an extremely hectic summer in Helsinki I was finally able to relax. It was also the first time when I lived alone which was all new and exciting. During my exchange semester I met outgoing people from all around the world and started to love running. A pic you see above is taken from one of my favorite parks where I used to go for a run. Sometimes I was quite stressed about studies, however I tried not to stress too much and focused more on gathering experiences and connecting with people from different cultures.

Returning back home

In September 2017, it was time for me to return to Finland. After moving back to Finland, it felt like everything had stayed the same, only I had changed. Living abroad had been like a huge adventure during which I had experienced new things on a daily basis. Now it was time to go back to the life that I had in Finland, but I did not want to. I felt like a fish who had seen the ocean but was forced to live in a fishbowl. In addition to this, I felt like nobody understood how I felt. I remember people telling me that life cannot be forever like an adventure which you experience during your exchange year abroad, and I remember thinking “Why not?”.

I felt like there was no way out of this feeling that I had, however soon after I found out that there is. One of the main things that I realized was that I needed to slow down. I went back in time to Germany and started to think what made me feel so happy there. I realized that in Finland I did not give enough time for myself, I was focusing only on studies and work and did not do enough sports or maintain a healthy lifestyle. After realizing what the problem is, I started to do more things which made me feel good, such as dancing and running. In addition to these, I started to try new things such as writing, painting and new sports which brought more excitement in my life.

How I changed during my exchange year

Having struggles adjusting to the life back at home didn’t mean that the friends that I had in Finland would be less important to me, it just meant that I had experienced something that had changed me as a person. It had made me to see Finland in a different light and to connect with people from different cultures. Before my exchange I had only one friend who lived abroad and now I had many. I got used to communicating in English and I felt like it had become a part of who I am. I signed up to be an exchange tutor for international students, started to travel more, to read foreign newspapers and to connect with people from different cultures.

I found out that ‘living in a fishbowl’ doesn’t mean that you should feel sad about it. It just means that you need to bring the ocean right where you are. Luckily, there are many ways how to do this.

Ways how to cope with reverse culture shock:

1) Accept that you have changed, remain true to the new you and spend time with your closest friends who make you laugh and who accept that you have changed

2) Go back in time and think of what made you feel good during your exchange – see it as a learning experience which enables your growth

3) Do things that made you feel good during your exchange year and try also new things which bring excitement in your life – start a travel blog, travel more in your home country

4) Try to connect with international students and travelers in your home country – sign up to be an exchange tutor, attend a language café meetup

5) Mind travel – sign up for a language course, read travel books and blogs

6) Set smart goals to have something to look forward to – make travel plans with your international friends and stay in touch with them regularly

7) Focus on things which you are grateful for in your home country such as friends, family and your favorite places

Get out there and have an adventure at your own backgyard!

Best,

Johanna

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