Reversed Cultural Shock

          If someone feels like an outsider in his/her own culture after being overseas for a significant period of time, it is called reverse cultural shock(What is Reverse Culture Shock?, n.d.). Culture is dynamic; there could be many unexpected things when someone comes back to his/her country. Therefore, after adjusting to second culture, people again need to re-adjust to their own culture when they return home.

“Many assume that once they or their loved ones return from studying abroad, the experience is over. Not True!” (Reverse Cultural Shock, para 1). After coming from foreign country, people may observe that their family members are not interested much about their experience that they had abroad. Besides, international program make one’s world view different, it is often different from the friends back at home country.

Usually international graduates came back to their own culture with passion to apply the new knowledge they have earned. However, in reality, a lots of adjustments need to be done. For example, one of the Theology graduates from Korea came back to Mongolia to serve in the church. He tried to implement the idea of not wearing earrings and taking off shoes before entering the church. These ideas he tried to apply were not bad but that were not appropriate or suitable for Mongolian church. Thus, people did not practice on his ideas. The elders wear earnings because it reflects how their children take care of them, they cannot always remove shoes because it is cold in Mongolia. Practicing the ideas might cause other problems. Consequently, educated people from abroad need to learn about their own culture and make adjustment in order to make some changes.

References:

What is Reverse Culture Shock? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://amazingchild.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-Reverse-Culture-Shock

Reverse Cultural Shock. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/node/6600