It's Your World

Part V: Reentry

Clearing Customs on Return

Reverse Culture Shock

Campus Reentry

Just as living abroad required you to make a number of adjustments, so does coming home. After all, you're not the same person you were when you went abroad. After spending anywhere from a month to a year living in a different culture, you have absorbed new knowledge and attitudes that have changed you intellectually and personally. While you're trying to find your new niche at home, you may wonder how to build on your study abroad experience. Like many returning students, you may want to immediately start planning to go abroad again.

Clearing Customs on Return

When you come back to the United States, you must pass through U.S. Customs, where you will be asked to declare the value of items that you purchased abroad that you are bringing back with you. Certain items are illegal to bring into the United States, and some require that you pay an import tax or duty. Currently, you can bring in souvenirs and gifts worth up to $400 without paying any duty. For items costing between $400 and $1,400, the import duty is 10% of fair market value. Above that amount, duty varies depending on the item.

There are two pamphlets available with complete information on Customs and duties: Passports and Customs, available for a small cost from:
Consumer Information Center
P.O. Box 100
Pueblo, CO 81002

or Know Before You Go, available free from:
U.S. Customs Service
Box 7407
Washington, DC 20044
Telephone: 202-927-6724

Reverse Culture Shock

As odd as it may sound, you should prepare yourself for a period of cultural adjustment -- or reverse culture shock -- when you come back to the United States. Returning travelers experience the same physical and emotional upheavals as in the early stages of life abroad. This includes jet lag, as your body adjusts to the change in time zones.

In fact, many returning students are surprised to find that adjusting to life "back home" is more difficult than the adjustment they made to life in a foreign country. Why is this? While students understand that study abroad is a life-changing experience, many of them are not immediately aware of how they changed or how their experience abroad has caused them to look at life in the United States through different lenses. You may also experience a sense of loss after leaving your new friends and the life that you led while abroad.

After return, you may feel out of sync with friends and family, who may express only a polite interest in the experiences that you found fascinating. You might experience boredom and a lack of direction. You may also return to find that problems that were on hold while you were abroad -- personal issues or career questions -- are still waiting for you.

Campus Reentry

Many U.S. colleges and universities offer reentry workshops to help students integrate their study abroad experience with their continued life and studies. Such workshops also allow students to talk about their experiences with people they know will appreciate them: other student travelers. They will encourage you to start new friendships with other students who have recently returned from abroad, as well as keep in touch with friends you made abroad.

Evaluate Your Program
Your home school may require you to complete a written evaluation of your studies abroad program. This can be a valuable experience for you, as it provides an opportunity to consider the pros and cons of the program you selected and reflect on what it meant to you. It may be even more valuable for future participants. Your evaluation will be made available to students who are considering studying abroad, as well as faculty and administration. A copy will also be send to your study abroad program, so program sponsors can learn what works and what needs improvement from the point of view of as many participants as possible.

Build on Your Experience

Even after you have readjusted to life and studies at home, you may want to build on your study abroad experience. Here are some options: Become a peer counselor for students who are considering study abroad, and help them make good planning choices. Volunteer as a "past participant" at orientations your study abroad advisor may be organizing for the next group of outbound students. Polish the language you learned by taking advanced language classes or joining a language club. Become involved with an international student as a roommate or tutor. Join an international organization. Pursue other opportunities to study, work, or travel abroad.

Career Planning

Your study abroad experience may propel you to begin searching for an international career as soon as you return home. The following will help you in this: Consult publications on working abroad, and pay attention to immigration policies in the countries that interest you. While you are abroad, make a list of contact information for anyone you meet who works in an area you're interested in. Once home, write to them to let them know that you are interested in returning abroad to work after you graduate. Prepare a resume, with the help of your university career center. Be sure to include your study abroad experience, language skills, and cross-cultural adaptation skills. Attend job-hunters' workshops that are relevant to your career goals. Find out if agencies and companies with offices abroad recruit on your campus. Investigate jobs in the United States that have an international focus. Look into teaching English as a Second Language abroad. Find out if you need a graduate degree to get the job you want. If so, which colleges offer that degree?

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