The Secret to Overcoming Reverse Culture Shock

At home with my sister, Kate
Me in Insadong, Seoul








I wish there was a magic secret to speedily overcoming a yearning for times and places left behind, but there isn't. Grieving the loss of your former life is a normal, necessary process that most people go through when returning to their homeland after living abroad. Unfortunately, many people are often unprepared for the reverse culture shock that meets them after returning home.

I came back to America last July after teaching in South Korea for almost two years. The process was painful. I was happy to be closer to family, but missed my life and friends in the exciting city of Seoul, South Korea.

My new life in Syracuse was interesting enough, but seemed dim and almost foreign compared to the constant new discoveries (both of self and the world around me) that awaited me while living in a culture foreign to my own.

It's now months after settling back into American life again and it almost feels normal. I still miss living in Asia, but am fully embracing my life here.

Through this blog I'll revisit some of the changes I went through when coming back, how I've changed since living in a different culture. AND I hope to hear about your experiences with reverse culture shock.