1. Re-entry Shock and Relationships:
Reconnecting with Friends and
Family After Your Study Abroad
(and Beyond)
Caroline Niesen, MA
Instructor & Advisor
ccniesen@gmail.com
2. Getting Acquainted
• Share your:
– Host country
– Length of stay
– Favorite food
you ate while
abroad
3. Overview and Goals for Today
• Discuss re-entry shock and its impact
on you and your support network
• Learn about effective communication
strategies
• Connect with others who have studied
abroad to share experiences
4. Communication & Relationships
• Oftentimes re-entry is
an internalized struggle
• One expects coming
home to be a positive
experience
• Free Write Exercise:
– When I returned home I
was disappointed with
__________ because…
– Share responses after a
full 5 minutes of writing
5. It’s Normal To...
• Feel sad, lost, socially
withdrawn, and
disinterested
• Be dissatisfied with your
life at home in
comparison to abroad
• Want to talk about your
experience profusely
• Feel neglected by friends
and family
• …feel none of the above
7. Severity of Shock Depends On…
• Age
• Sex
• Length of time abroad
• Cultural distance
• Previous abroad
experience
• Disposition
• Communication style
• Knowledge of re-entry
shock
8. “How Was Your Trip!?”
• List of 3 Key Anecdotes:
Compiling Experiences
– Write down 3 things
you learned,
experienced, or found
fascinating
– Turn to someone next
to you and ask ―How
was your trip!?‖
– Share your responses
– Switch roles
9. Re-Entry Shock & Communication
• Communication =
essence of understanding
your experience
• Friends/family want to
hear about your
experiences…to a point
• Friends/family changed
while you were gone, too
• Sharing is a two-way street
10. It’s a Give and Take…
• Giving is part of
communication
• Giving=listening
• What type of listener are
you?
• Listening Styles Profile
– Fill out the survey based on
your initial reactions
– Tabulate scores
– Where do you rank highest?
– If you’re a time, action, or
content listener…time to
readjust to others
11. Communication Strategies
• You’ve changed. It’s inevitable.
• Make friends here today as allies to talk
study abroad.
• Speak up! Friends and family may not
know you are struggling.
• Share your experiences in a public
forum—present to a local school, do a
community presentation, or organize a
poster session on campus.
• Create a club on campus for past,
current, and future study abroaders.
12. Now You Know…
• Your struggles with adjustment (or lack
thereof) are normal
• It will get better! Adjusting is a constant
life process, not just in re-entry
• Condensing your experience to 3 key
anecdotes is beneficial
• Talking with others about your struggles
is HEALTHY, so speak up!
• Listening is an essential part of
relationships
Editor's Notes
Discussion Question: What was the hardest part about reconnecting with friends and family members?Share two experiences with the person next to youThe more you adapted to your host country, the longer your adjustment back to the U.S. will takeTypically six months to fully adjust
It’s never enough to say “it was great!”Triple threat: doesn’t overwhelm the person you’re talking to, gives you a chance to share more than “great!”, and piques the person’s curiosity to ask you questions about your trip
