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I have been home for twenty-four hours and the questions of “How was it?” have already bombarded my mind. Being back home from my study abroad journey now means I must find a way to answer these questions. After all, I have been away from my friends and family for over four months.
As pictures and memories float around my jet-lagged head, I have been practicing how to answer the question “How was it?” and “What was your favorite part?” Yet, every time I open my mouth, I am left speechless. How do I respond to these simple questions when my answers are anything but that?
In each of the locations that I have studied in for six weeks, other travel abroad students and I discussed the idea of reverse culture shock. Because I always love coming home to my friends and family after a long time of being away, this is something that felt so foreign. But, by definition, this is what reverse culture shock means:
A term used to describe the feelings experienced when people return to their home country.
Reverse culture shock, at least for me, hit intensely on my flight back home. As I departed from my layover in Portugal and headed to Newark, suddenly reality hit. Suddenly, it felt as if the past four months had fled my mind and disappeared into the clouds I was now flying in.
With no wifi on the flight, I was left with two things to do: listen to the playlists I made for Cape Town, Sydney, and Rome, and scroll through my camera roll. As I did this, I began to wonder what I would answer to the differing questions I would receive when I got back home.
I sometimes believe that I am not good at putting words together when I speak. This is why I revert to my writing, open my journal, and begin to let my pen speak for me. Because, when I look at the pictures in my camera roll, how do I answer “What was your favorite part of Cape Town?”; where each day I was immersed in a culture that is not understood by the rest of the world. Where, each day I was in a class where twenty-four students became a small family and we all shared parts of our lives that were never shared before. Where experiences like eating with a local family changed my perspective on life forever.
As I unpack my bags, pulling out souvenirs from Sydney, I wonder how I can describe the feeling that rises when I think about the relationships I have formed abroad. From Cape Town, two of my friends also traveled to Sydney with me. I knew them for twelve weeks before I had to say goodbye. Others, I only knew for six weeks. But, these individuals have become part of my journey, as I was to theirs. When I reached into my suitcase to take out the Morgan Wallen shirt I bought at his concert in Sydney, I immediately laughed at the memory of a group of us who were jumping up and down, shoulder to shoulder. The relationships I made abroad are ones I will have for the rest of my life.
Being back home again feels surreal. Almost as if my cooking class in Florence, attendance at the Papal, and six weeks in Rome were a dream. For me, Italy was a place of rejuvenation and exploration. As I navigate the feelings of being back home, I begin to think about how I have grown as an individual. Over the last six weeks, I was balancing the thought of returning home while trying to enjoy where I was in the world. It is a funny thought to be homesick while you are traveling to one of the most beautiful places in the world. But, this allowed me to focus on the important things around me, let my independence bloom, and allow the idea of exploration to lead me to places I have never been before.
Sitting back and writing a blog about being back home felt nerve-racking. Just a few days ago I was with my friend Ella, who in fact, I met in Cape Town. We spent the last four days of our semester abroad exploring Copenhagen and Amsterdam. As we were preparing to go to the airport, we sat down and tried to comprehend what we had just lived through the past four months. As we did this, we noticed how easy it was to talk to each other about the experiences we had. But, once we thought about going back home and answering the bundle of questions, Ella said, “How are we supposed to answer those questions?”
As I continue to write this blog, I am still not sure of an answer. But, maybe, my words on this blog and all of my previous blogs will help me find an answer.
“How was it?”
Well, I learned how to adjust to a new place when studying abroad, made a list of quite a few things to do in Cape Town, Sydney, and Rome, and wrote a note to my ambivert self. I found ways to complete my bucket list, to keep in touch, and take care of myself while traveling, while also being spontaneous. I traveled the world through books, learned what classes are like abroad, checked in from around the world, and finally felt like I found myself.
And now, I am facing reverse culture shock from the most incredible four months away from home.
Thank you so much for reading my blogs this spring semester! I look forward to writing more throughout the summer and during my final year at URI.
Hi friends! My name is Tara Roumes and I am a junior here at URI. With a double major in journalism and English, you can always find me writing! When a pen isn’t in my hand, a fresh cup of coffee and a book often replace it. My love for books can be found on Instagram, @taras_littlelibrary, where I post reviews and connect with other avid readers. If I am not reading or writing, I am definitely claiming a front-row seat at any athletic event on campus, playing with my two dogs, or listening to Harry Styles. This is my second semester blogging for Inside Rec and I am so excited to share my experiences, thoughts, and opinions with you! Right now I am studying abroad in Cape Town then I head to Sydney and Rome!