Coming Back

Each individual’s reactions to their experiences volunteering overseas can vary. They will depend greatly on what kind of person you are, what you did while abroad, where you lived, how long you spent overseas, and what sort of experiences you had. Nonetheless, it is guaranteed that you will return changed to some extent by your experiences. Even if you were overseas for only a week, you may have witnessed a way of life and a level of poverty that you would never have seen before. Having witnessed poverty, you might find the plenty found at home and the waste of modern life difficult to comprehend, if only for a while.

You may experience what is termed ‘reverse culture shock’ or ‘re-entry shock’. It is quite expected that when people arrive in a different country, with different customs and cultures, it takes a while for them to get used to being there. In other words, they may experience ‘culture shock’. However, in that situation, foreigners are tacitly given a grace period to behave differently to the customs of the country while they adjust to the new culture. When you get back home, however, no such honeymoon is allowed.

Friends and family expect you to be the same as before you went away. They didn’t experience what you experienced and are often unable to grasp the impact it can have on you. They don’t realise that the readjustment may be difficult for you and just expect you to ‘get on with it’ and to be the same as you were before. ‘Getting on with it’ can entail a number of actions which, if you want to adjust well and capitalise on your experience overseas, you may want to carry out when you get back. In the following two sections, we will look at strategies to make settling in easier, and at how you can make the most of your overseas experiences at home.