Returning home

Hey again everyone!

This is going to be my final post just to wrap everything up. It's been a fun journey and I hope that I've provided you with some useful information about studying abroad!

Now that you're home make sure to follow up with any scholarships you've received in case you have to complete a project or service requirement as terms of the scholarship. Also make sure to check in with your study abroad advisor to tell them all about your experiences!

Although you should be excited to be home with your friends, family, and familiarity you may also experience some post-study abroad blues or "reverse culture shock". It's completely normal to experience either of these situations. Before going abroad you were probably made well aware of culture shock, and reverse culture shock is the inverse of that: feeling shocked by how different your home is than where you just visited. Just as with culture shock, reverse culture shock will fade overtime and you'll become use to the ins and outs of your own culture once again. Post-study abroad blues is also a common experience; you might feel like your life at home will never be as good as it was abroad, you might criticize your home country in relation to your host country, you might be spending more time on social media trying to remember your experienced abroad, and much more. There are a number of things you can do to combat these issues including exploring a new area of your city, hanging out with friends you haven't seen since you've been gone, and even planning your next trip abroad! Just remember that time helps with both of these post-study abroad issues.

To finish up this post I'd just like to encourage you to share your experiences in any way you can. Maybe through a study abroad fair at your university, to friends in person, on your social media, and any other ways you can think of. The more people you share the more people become aware of the opportunities to study abroad and the excitement that comes with it. Don't forget to mention the funding opportunities so that people aren't immediately scared away by the cost!

That's all I have for now. Maybe I'll revive this blog for my next trip, but until then...

-Kendra