The emotional transition for international students moving to the U.S. workforce or back home can be challenging due to cultural, social, and personal adjustments. Here are key aspects and strategies to help manage this transition effectively:
Build a Support Network:
Connect with other international students who share similar experiences.
Join organizations either at your work place or in the community nearby to foster a sense of belonging.
Attend a church and join a small group Bible study
Seek out a Christian mentor in your field for honest feedback and meet regularly to grow professionally and spiritually
Seek Professional Support:
Utilize counseling services through your employee insurance or outside providers that specialize in cross-cultural adjustment.
Stay Connected to Home:
Regularly communicate with family and friends through video calls or social media to maintain emotional ties.
Embrace Cultural Exchange:
Learn about the company and local culture while sharing your own culture with others to create mutual understanding.
Consider how your cultural background impacts they way you interact with others to resolve conflict, negotiate, and make friends and learn some of the local practices in these areas
Practice Self-Care:
Engage in activities that reduce stress, such as exercise, meditation, or pursuing hobbies.
Learn to manage your finances and save for emergencies
Set Realistic Expectations:
Understand that adjustment takes time and allow yourself patience during this process.
Useful Resources:
Christian Mentoring company (for a small fee): https://thebatonexchange.org/
Church networks online (ex: Reformed Baptist Network, Churches of Christ
Often we return to our home country unprepared for the magnitude of the adjustment ahead, thinking things will be just as they were before we left. However, many sojourners have experienced re-entry culture shock, as the reality of changes back home, changes in you, and finding your new place back home as an adult all converge. Spending a bit of time preparing mentally, emotionally and spiritually (in addition to physically!) will go a long way to smoothing the transition.
Here are a few tips and some resources to help get you started.
Before you return back:
Expect reverse culture shock. While it may not look exactly like this W-Curve, it is completely normal to experience some ups and downs as you adjust back home.
Reflect on your time at ACU with a friend or through journaling. Here are some good questions to consider:
What does “Saying Goodbye” mean to you?
How will you say goodbye to the people and places of your study abroad experience?
What are you looking forward to in your return?
What are you not looking forward to?
What are you nervous or anxious about? Lift this up in prayer, and chat with a friend, counselor, Lucy or Veronica about this if you feel it will help.
Plan a special time to share experiences from your time abroad with family and friends in your home country (prepare a short 3-minute version, and longer version depending on your audience).
Work with university admissions office to help promote institutions for prospective students.
After your return:
Seek out others with similar experiences.
Join a church and a small group Bible study in your area. There may also be some international groups in your area, or you can join something like Bible Study Fellowship remotely.
Take time to consider educational and career plans that include your new areas of interest.
Seek the advice of your counselors and/or mentors.
Seek to generate local interest in other cultures within your community and get involved in international or intercultural groups.
Examine challenges in your own community now that you have a new perspective and see how you might be able to help make a positive change.
Lucy and Veronica are experienced in this area and would be glad to meet with you to think through your best path forward.
“Think Home”, Lisa Espinelli Chin (out of print - get a copy from Lucy or Veronica)
“The Art of Coming Home”, Craig Sorti
“Making Meaning of Education Abroad”, NAFSA
“Questions to think about your re-entry from studying away", NYU
“Re-Entry Resources”, IES Abroad
“Re-Entry Resources”, Middlebury College
“Returning Home”, Yale University
“Returning Home After Graduation”, International Student