By: Mazin Asim
Some, if not most of you, will have enjoyed the perks of living or studying abroad for numerous years, met and sustained acquaintances and indulged in the different cultures that this wonderful world of ours has to offer. Seems like perfect bliss, doesn’t it?
The problem lies when you have to return to your home country after sculpting yourself into an acceptable entity, in a country that you would now refer to as your home away from home.
Reverse culture shock settles in and you start to feel alienated in your own home and culture where you were born.
Here’s some basic advice on how you can handle it:
Share/Communicate
A large part of you will feel excluded from the society surrounding you, and will feel the need to bubble yourself off from the rest and carry on with your business in a lonesome manner. You need to be able to open and share your experiences. Even though it may not seem like it, but I’m sure there’s someone in your life who is ready and willing to help you with how you’re feeling.
Maintain Your “Uniqueness”
The entity I was referring to is the new and evolved you. keep that and stay international; it’s an advantage believe you me! You don’t want to be another sheep in the herd, but rather a fierce competitor for the Herding-dog guiding the sheep.
Realise That You Can’t Change People
One of the most distraught things that you will have to deal with is realising that the friends and family you left behind are not the same anymore. They’ve developed new interests and new bonds between them that you missed out on. Normally, your first reactions would be to shrug it off or dismiss it as invaluable. You will also try to convince them to think the same way, but just know that it’s counterproductive and will harm you more than it will do them any good. Rather, try to understand their point of view and go with the flow. You may never know that by being understanding you might be adding to your perspective and developing yourself even more.
Seek Out New Experiences
I realise that being home will mean everything is still more or less the same, but that doesn’t mean that you have to fall back into the same old routine. Meet new people, create new opportunities for yourself, maybe even try to bring some of what you acquired abroad to the table and teach your friends and family how you learnt to have fun abroad (moderately). Make sure to choose wisely who you share this information with though, as not everyone will be so accepting.
Keep Positive
Last but not least, and I cannot stress this point enough, STAY POSITIVE:) Bringing yourself down or consuming your mind with negative thoughts will not get you anywhere; it’ll actually do the exact opposite and halt your progress at a standstill if not drag you backwards a few steps. You are what your mind commands. Think positive and positive things shall happen to you. Also, shy away from anyone who exposes you to any kind of negativity. They are your Kryptonite. YES, THAT’S RIGHT, I’m referring to you as if you were Superman/woman.
