Returning Home
Tips and suggestions for people with disabilities dealing with culture shock when returning home.
Once You've Said Goodbye....
Read "Survival Strategies" Chapter Five: Coming Home
Chapter Five Includes:
- Forging Bonds Across Cultures: Alliances and Friendships
- Revelations on the Road: Travelers Gain Self-knowledge
- A More Complex and Exciting World: Travelers Learn Cultural Lessons
- Telling the Story: Share Your Experiences with Others
- Values and Skills: The Impact of International Exchange on Travelers’ Life and Work
Returning Home
- Be prepared for culture shock. Some people feel more culture shock when returning home than they did when arriving to a new country. People returning to the United States often feel that the pace is much faster and less community-oriented.
- Expect to feel a new sense of independence, self-esteem, and confidence.
- Share your experiences with others once you return (write articles, speak at conferences, present slideshows for your funders, serve as a peer and role model for others).
- Maintain contact with the people you met abroad.
- Based on your experience, consider advocating for human/disability rights locally and internationally.
- Consider the international facet of your career intentions now that you have acquired international living and/or language skills.
- Promote your skills and knowledge in job hunting.
- Continue on your checklist before you went abroad about how to gain international knowledge and experiences at home through internships, language learning, and inviting international visitors to your home.
- Start planning your next overseas experience.
