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Going home to culture shock
By Sandy Johnstone
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Reverse culture shock has
been pinpointed as a problem
for foreign students returning
home after going to school in
the United States, according to
University counselors.
Graduate student Natascha
Affemann can attest to that. She
went back to her native Ger
many during Christmas vaca
tion after a year of school here
and she was “ready to come
back" when vacation was over.
"It wasn't so hard because I
knew I was coming back,” says
the psychology graduate
student. Affemann points out
that since she was only home
for three weeks she did not ex
perience total reverse culture
shock, but she did feel most of
the symptoms
"Certain things just hit me
when I returned to Germany,”
she says ”! got used to a lot of
space here (in the U S.) and felt
sort of claustrophobic The
people were unfriendly — cold,
grumpy, short. It struck me how
little helpful the people were
around the airport, not so much
for me but for older ladies. It was
discouraging.”
Affemann's feelings about
her own people changed during
her year in the United States
"The people are negative in
Germany," she says. “All of Eu
rope is resigned in terms of be
ing able to change. They've
given up the feeling that they
can be effective "
The change in political struc
ture caught her off guard when
she returned. "It's a destructive
political atmosphere," she says
about Germany. "I could not
deal with the peer pressure in
German universities to politicize
in a destructive manner.
"What struck me most is that
you have to give up a certain
amount of personal freedom in
dress and behavior, and start
fitting in again .”
International stuoies coun
selors at the University try to
focus students’ attention on
their probable reverse culture
shock experience through
workshops and individual
counseling so that problems like
Affemann's can be lessened. An
estimated 300 foreign students
return home from the University
each year
"We are giving them reality
therapy,” says Peter Briggs, in
ternational studies adviser. "A
lot of them want to stay here but
they are going to have to go
back They need to think realis
tically about what it will be like."
The students who adjusted
easily to American customs
have the most difficult time at
home, Briggs says
“Having been away for so
long, you lose touch All there
really is, is your family," she
says. “It makes you lonely."
Affemann recommends that
students "identify behavior
you’ve learned to value — both
routines and habits — and see if
they're appropriate in the home
country. Prior to going back find
ways to continue some of them
and find out which ones are
really important.
Students should become
aware of how stress usually ef
fects them so that they can
identify the problem as soon as
they notice the symptoms, Af
femann says. She suggests
thinking of possible ways to al
leviate stress before going back
and to make sure to do those
activities.
Two of Affemann's German
friends have experienced
reverse culture shock and she
says it is interesting to note their
different reactions.
One man moved back in with
his parents and found the situa
tion “impossible" but has not
made an effort to move out. He
is going to the University in his
home town, but since most of
his old friends have moved away
and his girlfriend found another
man, he feels "very unhappy,”
she says.
If students encounter
alienation when they return
home, Briggs recommends get
ting in touch with other people
who have been to the United
States to share their feelings
"In a lot of other cultures
people are not willing to share
their feelings because it is a sign
of weakness," he says. This can
pose a problem for those who
have learned to share their
feelings while they were here,
he says.
Another friend of Af
femann's is "getting back into"
the culture and seems to be
reverting to his life before he
came to the United States.
“He’s not very introspective,”
Affemann says, adding that he
usually just adapts to whatever
culture he is in.
"Being multi-national is not
really fitting in anywhere and
having a global (perspective,"
she says. It means feeling com
fortable in a lot of different cul
tures, but not feeling completely
at home in any one culture.
Affemann says she is afraid
she will act more like an alien
ated person when she returns
home.
“(Traveling) gives you a kind
of schizophrenic took on life,”
she says. “I'm not sure I want to
live in Germany and I’m not sure
I want to live here. So where do I
go?”
The only way she was able to
deal with the problem was to
II -
come back to the United States,
she says.
Although she acknowledges
that she eventually will have
return to Germany, she wants
take her time. "I’m just too
happy here.”
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