Thursday, December 9, 2010
NEWS
The Daily Aztec
3
Students experience mixed feelings post study abroad
Courtesy of Renee Payne
Renee Payne, a psychology senior, sits with monks atop ruins in Cambodia. After spending a whirlwind semester semester studying abroad in Singapore, she experienced reverse culture shock when she returned to the U.S.
with nothing but free time until she started school, Payne simply MANAGING EDITOR reminisced about what she had just experienced. “I felt really nostalgic all the After seven months traveling in Asia, time,” she said. “I just did all psychology senior Renee Payne was this stuff, now what? ... What do ready to go home. Beginning in JanI do now?” uary of this year, Payne studied Payne passed the time by going abroad in Singapore — more than through her pictures and staying in 8,000 miles away from California. touch with her friends abroad She was the only person from San through Skype and Facebook. Diego State to enter this particular This experience is what many program early this year and despite have come to know as reverse cula rough start, her time abroad ture shock, and Payne is not the proved to be invaluable. She became only student who has had mixed friends with students from other emotions upon returning from countries and encountered countstudying abroad. Reverse culture less adventures in a short period of shock is when students return time. She stroked tigers in Thailand, home from anothhiked a volcano in er countr y and Bali and trekked have trouble through ancient “Be aware of the adjusting to their ruins in Cambolives. It has adjustment you’re former dia. Needless to become a common say, it was an expeo c c u r re n c e a n d going to have to rience of a lifetime. can happen to stuImmediately make when you dents anywhere. following her time International come home ... I at Nanyang TechCoordinator for nological Universit he College of wasn’t really ty, the school she Health & Human attended in SingaServices Suzanne expecting to come pore, she moved to Baker recently Hong Kong to live back and be studied the phewith her grandparnomenon of disappointed ...” ents for two reverse culture months, making shock for her gradthis the longest — Tom Murphy, uate t hesis. She time Payne had SDSU student wanted to find out ever been away what students from home. experience when She was certainly ready to get on they come back from studying the 14-hour flight back to California abroad and why students partake in to see her friends and family after reentry programming. more than 200 days of Asian immerWhile writing her thesis, Baker sion. discovered students were not preBut when Payne returned home, pared for the reverse culture shock. she was surprised. The time that “When you come back you don’t used to move quickly when she was really expect change,” Baker said. traveling began to slow down. She Unlike SDSU, some universities became bored. After only a few days, have mandated programming for her big suburban house made her students when returning from feel sad, and she began longing to studying abroad or lecture series to relive her experience in Singapore. guide reacclimatization. “I wanted to go back,” she said. However, in San Diego every year Home life seemed quiet com- there is a program titled “Lessons pared to the city life of Hong Kong, From Abroad.” Here, students can where constant chatter always filled attend workshops and meet others the voids in the background. who studied abroad so they do not Payne also expected things to feel alone in their experiences. The be extremely different when she program will be held next year on returned home, but that wasn’t Feb. 26 at UC San Diego. the case. “It’s something that I think “It was all exactly how I left it,” everyone could benefit from when you come back because there are she said. Being at home was such a con- feelings you don’t know how to trast from her time abroad, and process,” Baker said.
SARAH GRIECO
However, not all students feel the distressing effects of reverse culture shock. Rachel Shapiro, a journalism senior, has been abroad twice. She interned in London for two months last year and studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain earlier this year. The two trips were very different from each other, but both experiences left a lasting effect on Shapiro, including a desire to travel more. The acclimation was a little tricky for her, but ultimately she adjusted back to life in San Diego. Her boyfriend, Tom Murphy, experienced something a little different. He joined Shapiro in Spain during the spring and had an amazing time. “It felt like how life’s supposed to be,” he said. He was happy to return home to his family, but, similar to Payne, his transition back to SDSU was a difficult one. “I only focus(ed) on the adjustment I would make abroad, but you have to make one when you come back too,” Murphy said. Murphy also misses the education he received in Spain. “I think there is a general insensitivity with people here,” he said. “You can’t really relate to teachers as well and in Spain there’s a much more personal relationship.” Both Murphy and Shapiro said they are happy with their lives here, but they miss the family-focused lifestyle in Spain. Payne also misses her friends from NTU, but she said life has to go on. “When you actually go and see a little part of the world ... coming back and digesting it is tough, but it’s so valuable,” she said. All those interviewed expressed a desire to study abroad again and would recommend the experience to other students, but Murphy did so with caution. “Be aware of the adjustment you’re going to have to make when you come home,” he said. “Remember that when you come back it’s going to be the same old thing — I wasn’t really expecting to come back and be disappointed with how things were.” Those who wish to learn more about reentry programs for reverse culture shock can visit lessons fromabroad.org.
Courtesy of Rachel Shapiro
Rachel Shapiro and Tom Murphy spent the beginning of the year studying in Spain.