1. Re-entry Shock and Relationships:
Reconnecting with Friends and
Family After Your Study Abroad
(and Beyond)
Caroline Niesen, MA
Instructor & Advisor
ccniesen@gmail.com

2. Getting Acquainted
• Share your:
– Host country
– Length of stay
– Favorite food
you ate while
abroad

3. Overview and Goals for Today
• Discuss re-entry shock and its impact
on you and your support network
• Learn about effective communication
strategies
• Connect with others who have studied
abroad to share experiences

4. Communication & Relationships
• Oftentimes re-entry is
an internalized struggle
• One expects coming
home to be a positive
experience
• Free Write Exercise:
– When I returned home I
was disappointed with
__________ because…
– Share responses after a
full 5 minutes of writing

5. It’s Normal To...
• Feel sad, lost, socially
withdrawn, and
disinterested
• Be dissatisfied with your
life at home in
comparison to abroad
• Want to talk about your
experience profusely
• Feel neglected by friends
and family
• …feel none of the above

6. W-Shaped Readjustment Process
• Departure
• Honeymoon
• Re-entry
• Initial adjustment
• Reintegration
(Szkudlarek, 2010)

7. Severity of Shock Depends On…
• Age
• Sex
• Length of time abroad
• Cultural distance
• Previous abroad
experience
• Disposition
• Communication style
• Knowledge of re-entry
shock

8. “How Was Your Trip!?”
• List of 3 Key Anecdotes:
Compiling Experiences
– Write down 3 things
you learned,
experienced, or found
fascinating
– Turn to someone next
to you and ask ―How
was your trip!?‖
– Share your responses
– Switch roles

9. Re-Entry Shock & Communication
• Communication =
essence of understanding
your experience
• Friends/family want to
hear about your
experiences…to a point
• Friends/family changed
while you were gone, too
• Sharing is a two-way street

10. It’s a Give and Take…
• Giving is part of
communication
• Giving=listening
• What type of listener are
you?
• Listening Styles Profile
– Fill out the survey based on
your initial reactions
– Tabulate scores
– Where do you rank highest?
– If you’re a time, action, or
content listener…time to
readjust to others

11. Communication Strategies
• You’ve changed. It’s inevitable.
• Make friends here today as allies to talk
study abroad.
• Speak up! Friends and family may not
know you are struggling.
• Share your experiences in a public
forum—present to a local school, do a
community presentation, or organize a
poster session on campus.
• Create a club on campus for past,
current, and future study abroaders.

12. Now You Know…
• Your struggles with adjustment (or lack
thereof) are normal
• It will get better! Adjusting is a constant
life process, not just in re-entry
• Condensing your experience to 3 key
anecdotes is beneficial
• Talking with others about your struggles
is HEALTHY, so speak up!
• Listening is an essential part of
relationships