RE-ENTRY REFLECTIONS
The following reflections have been written specifically with ACU students in mind as you navigate coming home again. We recommend grabbing your journal, a cup of coffee, and committing at least 30 minutes daily to do the following reflection exercises in order (day one: part I, day two: part 2, etc). Let’s go!
Part 1: Coming Home Again
The best place to start in re-crossing the threshold is to acknowledge that the home you left is not the same as the one to which you are returning. Likewise, the “you” who left is not the same “you” who is returning.- Donald De Graaf
You're back. The whirlwind of packing, the noise and commotion of your common rooms, the smell of students cooking, hallway hangouts, and the late-night study sessions are all behind you. Now, thousands of miles away from your new home, you have returned to the (relative) quiet of your old home. Hopefully, this has allowed you to reflect on the year behind you. You might have wondered quietly, "What just happened...!?" You’re not alone. Coming home is more than just arriving at your final destination. It is a process that requires you to navigate all the new experiences, new skills, and emotions you packed home from your time abroad and combine them with the experiences and emotions of your family and friends welcoming you back to your "old" home. This process is not easy. Even though it seems it should be simple to come back to life in the United States, students often struggle with a strange sense of frustration, isolation, and challenge. We call this experience "reverse culture stress.” Although it can be difficult, these feelings are a normal part of the readjustment process and a critical part of identifying how your experience changed you and determining what changes you would like to honor as you return home.
Read through some signs of reverse culture stress below and see if any relate to your experience:
SIGNS OF REVERSE CULTURE STRESS
The impression that you cannot fully explain your experience or its importance
The realization that others do not want to hear very much about your adventures
The sensation of being "out of place" despite being home
Boredom with being home
Experiencing "reverse homesickness" for the place where you studied abroad
Realizing that relationships with family and friends have changed
Feeling that others misunderstand your growth, or see the "wrong" changes in you
Assessing home in a way that is judgmental or overly critical
Feeling that the experience abroad is lost or cut off from the rest of your life
Now that you are familiar with the signs of reverse culture stress, take a moment to read the student testimonial below. Compare the student's reflections on his experience in Ghana with the signs of reverse culture stress you just learned in the section above. Take out your journal and spend a few moments thinking about the questions following the student testimonial and reflect on your own experience.
STUDENT TESTIMONIAL
"I'm back in the good ole USofA...except for that fact that even though "old" is fitting, "good" may not be. Reverse culture shock has hit me a bit harder than culture shock did...okay, I admit, much harder. You would think that I would feel more shock going to a culture that I did not grow up in, and feel welcome and comfortable coming back to the one I have lived in my whole life in. That seems logical, but sometimes logic needs to be thrown out of the window temporarily to open and gain a little perspective...and that's exactly what I plan to do and in fact am doing.
I find myself a little lost, not sure how to navigate, both physically and socially. I spent four months in a culture that felt more like home to me than home does. It is hard to capture the full extent and reach of the ramifications of the effects of this paradox...
This is starting to make we wonder whether or not America is a good fit for me and my future. I feel an overbearing pressure and looming cloud of complacency that squeezes in and chokes me when I think of my future, and all I hear are thoughts about planning for grad school and getting a secure job and finding a way to fulfill my passions while still building up a life for myself...and it all sounds nice and grand. But also tiring, over-complicated, non-committal, and stagnant...
Ghana has changed me...and I'll never be the same...and I don't want to be. I don't know what this means for me, but I do know that it means this story has continued and is continuing past this semester, and perhaps will continue past this period of reentry...I firmly believe Ghana changed my life immeasurably; I'm curious as to what my time back holds in store for me." (student testimonial taken from There and Back: Living and Learning Abroad, pg. 175-176)
REFLECTION JOURNAL:
What are the issues this student was wrestling with as he returned home from Ghana? Are you struggling with any similar issues? Can you name these issues?
Have you experienced any reverse culture stress? How has the idea of reverse culture stress manifested itself in your life?
Have you witnessed any of your friends wrestling with reverse culture stress? In what ways have they responded positively to these feelings? Negatively?
TAKE ACTION: Reach out to one friend from your group via text. Ask them how they are handling the transition home, and share one difficult thing you have encountered while adjusting to life in your home country.
DEVOTION: Read Hebrews 4:12-16. Christians believe that God became man in Jesus Christ and experienced what it means to be human. Then, after experiencing the joy and suffering of human life, Jesus Christ re-entered heaven. What does God's willingness to experience human life suggest about the nature of God? How do you think the experience of being human might have impacted God? According to the book of Hebrews, how should this impact our relationship with God?
As you reenter your life in the United States, turn your thoughts into a prayer to the God who knows what it is like to travel and to be profoundly changed by the people encountered during the journey.
PART II: CULTURE
"Honestly, this has been one of the hardest and most rewarding years of my life. The house community has made living here one of the most wonderful things I have ever done." - ACU Leipzig Student, Class of 2016-2017
The lives of ACU Study Abroad students are defined by a unique culture that each group creates together. Although you may revisit your host country at some future point, the "house culture" created and shared by each group is defined by a specific moment in time and can never be truly recreated. This adds an interesting layer of complexity to your reentry process. Your family or friends might imagine that the most challenging part of reentering life in the United States is losing connection with your host country’s culture. However, for many of our students, the first and most acute sense of loss comes from leaving the ACU house culture, followed by a sense of disconnection from the host country's culture. The MDL house culture provides the foundation from which your Study Abroad experience is interpreted. Every experience abroad, whether in or outside of the walls of your ACU house, was shaped and given meaning by the community you lived in.
Take a moment to read the student testimonial below and reflect on your experience within your own abroad community. What was your experience with "house culture"?
STUDENT TESTIMONIAL:
"While I was abroad, there were several things that happened in my family and friend group that was stressful. It's not like life abroad was always easy, but I really missed being around my friends--the people who I learned to love and rely on--once I got back to my "real" family at home. I probably didn't appreciate it enough at the time, but it was so nice to have all of your friends in the same place, all doing the same thing, and sharing all of our experiences together. At home, I just didn't have that. I felt sad, maybe even depressed, to not be able to have the kind of community we shared in Oxford." - former ACU Oxford student (2015-2016)
REFLECTION JOURNAL:
If you had to characterize the culture of your study abroad group with three adjectives, what would they be?
Are there any aspects of house culture that you miss? Are there ways to carry these aspects forward into your life at home?
What was difficult about your experience in your community abroad? What did you learn from these experiences?
ACTION: Look at your calendar for the next six months and set aside three dates for two little adventures and one big adventure (ex., going camping for the weekend outside of Austin, checking out the Old Jail art museum in Albany, exploring Devil’s River, or trying out a new restaurant in Abilene). Reach out to your group and see who wants to come along!
TAKE ACTION: Is there one aspect of house culture you would like to incorporate into your life next year at ACU? Share this adjective with your roommates/apartment-mates for next year and devise one practice you can put into place to turn this adjective into concrete action.
DEVOTION: Read Colossians 3:1-17. Think briefly about what it might be like to live in the Christian community described in Colossians. What and who does that kind of community value? How is it different from any other community we might encounter? In what ways did your community mirror this description? In what ways did it fall short?
Using your journal, write out a prayer to God. Thank God for how your little community reflected this Christian love and community vision. Ask for forgiveness for how we wounded others and fell short of Jesus' example. If someone you failed to show love towards comes to mind, take a moment to ask for their forgiveness and seek reconciliation.
PART III: Relationships
Our journeys always lead us back to the same starting place--but with new questions and new ways of thinking about ourselves, our communities, and the world.
Our students expect their time abroad will be a period of personal transformation and change. However, after returning home, many are surprised to discover they are not the only ones who have changed! Your friends and family also managed significant transitions and changes during your time away. After the experience of forming new relationships and experiences abroad, you may discover that you begin to feel differently about your friendships or the relationship between you and the members of your family. Consider the following reflection from a student struggling with how their relationships with family and friends transitioned after the study abroad experience:
STUDENT TESTIMONIAL
Reflection 1: "Throughout my time abroad, I truly felt like my parents learned to let go and allowed me to experience Europe for myself. Yet, upon returning home in December, I felt them reeling me back into the same expectations they had before I left. The hug from my mom and dad was what I had been missing for months. The smile and the inside joke shared with my brother made me feel welcomed. But after the initial reuniting, I realized that my relationship had changed with my family...My life ran parallel to theirs, as time did not stop in the United States. Family and friends were having their own adventures, shared moments, and transitions." (DeGraff, 178.)
Reflection 2: One night around the dinner table after I returned from Leipzig, I found myself in a heated discussion with my parents. During the discussion, I told them the German way of doing something was clearly better than in the United States, or, at the very least, was equally good. After this comment, my mother narrowed her eyes, tilted her head inquisitively, and said, "I'm not sure I we should have sent you abroad. I'm not sure I like the way you have changed."At that moment, I realized that I had agreed with every opinion my parents held on any subject. Being a member of our family meant we acted a certain way, thought a certain way, and believed a certain way. For the first time, I felt I held an idea, and a bunch of experiences, that were separate and apart from my family. " - Mark Barneche, 2001-2002.
REFLECTION JOURNAL:
After reading these student reflections, reflect on how your relationships with family and friends have changed. How can you navigate these changes with grace and truth?
What advice would you give yourself as you reintegrate back into your home community?
TAKE ACTION: What are some ways the distance of the abroad experience resulted in beneficial growth for you and your family and friends? What are some concrete ways you can continue this positive growth? Make a list and share it with at least one friend/family member.
TAKE ACTION: Find a person whom you admire, outside of your family, who is at least ten years older than you, and who has experienced prolonged distance from their family. Ask that person to spend some time with you over coffee and ask how they managed their family relationships during adulthood.
DEVOTION: Read Ephesians 4:1-6. In this passage, St. Paul affirms the life the Christian should live: a life characterized by love, peace, and unity. What are some ways the experience of being abroad has contributed to your ability to "bear with others in love"” to be humble, to be gentle, and to maintain unity and peace? What might be some practical ways that you can put some of these lessons into practice with your family and friends at home?
PART IV: Resources
One of the biggest lessons we learn through the Study Abroad experience is a sense of our limitations. We inhabit a very small corner of the world, representing just one way of being, thinking, and believing. Hopefully, you discovered that you can only truly be known and understood within a community. Although we are tempted to believe otherwise, we cannot survive alone and require the strength of others to understand the world, ourselves, and the ability to navigate life’s challenges. The Study Abroad Office is here for you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at any time.
ACU has several resources and opportunities that have been created to help you reenter life on campus and make the most of your abroad experience. To learn about some of these resources, check out the links and descriptions below.
Leaving study abroad marks a significant transition period in every university student's life. Most people have chosen their majors (or are feeling pressure to do so!) and are often taking full academic loads of upper-division classes. The communities of friends you have formed during your first two years at ACU are often scattered on and off-campus in dorms and apartments, and everyone seems to be busy with challenging classes. These realities often lead to a sense of loneliness or isolation. While these issues are common, you may feel that you are alone and may feel anxious, lonely, or depressed. If you feel this way or need someone to talk to, use the ACU Counseling Center. ACU’s trained clinical staff have seen thousands of students going through this transition and are there to help. To find out more about scheduling an appointment, explore what the counseling process is like, or see what kinds of counseling sessions are available, click the link above.
There is no doubt that your study abroad experience impacted you in many ways, but many of you are probably wondering, "What's next"? The Returning Well chapel series allows you to unpack your experience with people you know and trust and earn some chapel credit. If you're interested in participating in the Returning Well series, please stop by the ACU Study Abroad office, look at the dedicated Returning Well section on our website, or contact Lindsay Snyder (lms11b@acu.edu) for more information.
LANGUAGE GROUPS
Language, like any ability, improves with use. Don't let your foreign language skills waste away! If you are interested in continuing to practice, consider joining a foreign language conversation group on campus. It's a great opportunity to practice your language skills with friends and meet new people while enjoying coffee and conversation. Anyone who loves speaking another language is welcome and encouraged to attend. Language groups for French, German, and Spanish meet the first Wednesday of each month from 11-1 pm in The Bean. If you would like more information, please contact mark.barneche@acu.edu.
THE RETURN
Looking for a way to talk about your abroad experience? Considering being a part of The Return. The Return gives returning Study Abroad students a chance to speak to incoming Freshmen about their abroad program. It's crazy, fun, and one of the most critical events in a Freshman student's life as they consider the decision to study abroad at ACU. The 2023-2024 ACU Study Abroad ambassadors will coordinate The Return effort for Study Abroad. To ask how you can get involved, contact your program ambassador here.