What is Reverse Culture Shock?

English below


Thuiskomen na een lange tijd is fantastisch omdat je je familie en vrienden weer ziet, je kan je favoriete plekken bezoeken en je lievelings gerechten weer eten. Je kijkt uit naar alles wat je hebt gemist tijdens je reis. Maar kort na je thuiskomst kunnen er ook andere gevoelens en gedachten optreden. Zoals dat niemand geïnteresseerd is in je verhalen, je vrienden luisteren niet, je familie begrijpt niet hoe je je voelt. Iedereen lijkt wel gehaast en gestrest. Je voelt je rusteloos en mist het reizen! Deze gevoelens kunnen te maken hebben met een omgekeerde cultuur shock, je kunt dit ervaren op verschillende niveaus en verschillende periodes. 

 

Een omgekeerde cultuurshock is ongeveer gelijk aan een cultuurshock alleen dan ervaar je het als je weer thuis komt van je reis. Je hebt nieuwe gewoontes aangeleerd, je hebt nieuwe culturen geproefd, je moet weer wennen aan je 'oude leven'. Als je je in het buitenland hebt aangepast, moet je weer wennen en aanpassen als je thuiskomt. Maak je geen zorgen, dit is normaal en hoort bij het proces van thuiskomen.

 

English:

Coming home can be a pleasant time as you will see your family and friends again and visit your favorite places and eat your favorite food. Basically all the things you missed being away from home. But soon after your homecoming there may be other thoughts such as nobody is interested to listen to my stories or understands how I feel, why is everyone so rushed and stressed, I feel restless and detached, I want to travel again! This phenomenon is called a reverse culture shock and can affect you at different times and levels.

 

Reverse culture shock is a term associated with the phenomenon of returning to one's own country and culture. Very similar to culture shock it may be expected that a person entering into their home environment will encounter some challenges too. If you have made any cultural adjustments while abroad, you will have to get used and accommodate when you are home again. Don't worry it is normal and part of the process of coming home.

international travel abroad

Different feelings during your re-entry

You probably expect to have to adapt to an entirely new culture when you go abroad but you may also have to face challenges being back home. Returning home you will probably enjoy all the things that you missed whilst being away from home. People want to hear about your trip, are enthusiastic about your photos and everyone is really glad to see you. This phase is called honeymoon and can last for a surprisingly short period of time.

 

After the initial novelty and excitement of being home again has worn of, you could start to feel uncomfortable. You may have gained antoher worldview and have a different perspective on the culture and habits in your home country. You feel frustrated that your family and friends haver forgotten about your travels so quickly. You may feel similar to the effects of culture shock; anxious, irritable, confused, sad, nervous, unable to sleep or oversleeping. You have to go through it. This is called the reverse culture shock.

 

Given time, you will come to some final state of adjustment and integrate the experience into your life. Your life will begin to resemble the life you left, except with a broader perspective and with new skills gained from your journey. enjoy and accept the new version of you. Set new goals, use and get the benefits of your newly gained experiences and skills.