Arcadia England

For many of you, this semester marks the end of your study abroad experience and you will be returning back to the States. Though a lot is made of the culture shock when you arrive in a new country, we don't hear much about what happens when you go back home. Reverse culture shock can be as hard, if not harder, to deal with than the initial culture shock.

Here are some hurdles you may find when you are back in the States and a few tips to deal with the reverse culture shock.

Stay in contact

Though you have friends and family back at home you will have made some very good and close friends whilst being abroad. It's very normal to miss them within the reverse culture shock. You have shared so much together. Remember these moments by keeping in contact, embrace chatting about all the silly things you got up to abroad, keep those memories alive, with Skype, Facebook, Twitter.

Keep travelling

Whilst you have been abroad you have been subject to hundreds of new experiences. New food, new architecture, new cultures, new friends. New everything! When you get back you may feel bored. This is no offence to your family and friends. They are fun and comforting though when you have experienced so much, in such a short space of time, coming back to the normality of home can be slow. Get your fix for newness and travel. You don't have to go far, find new parts of your town that you had never seen before. Go to visit friends at their university. Organise a trip abroad for the following year. No matter how big or small, find something new.

Make a photo album

Remember the highlights of your experience by going old school and making a photo album. This will keep your memories alive and is a great way to explain to your family and friends what you got up to. Within reverse culture shock, it is common to feel that those closest to you don't understand or don't want to hear about your experiences. You have experienced so much and it is hard to coherently explain all that you have done. A photo album will give you a great reference point.

Send postcards back to Britain

When you return home and you have settled back into life back in the States you may feel that you are loosing what you learnt abroad. This is a normal affect of reserve culture shock. To help curb this feeling try to keep in contact with those Brits you met. Sending a postcard from your home town is a great way to keep in touch with people you met. In a more professional manner, LinkedIn is a great method to keep those contacts you have worked so hard to form.

And finally, don't forget to celebrate and share your stories via the Facebook group, we love to hear what you are getting up to.