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Life After Study Abroad With
Family and Friends
People
have changed and things have happened while you were gone ...
try to accept it!
Just as you
have undergone some changes while abroad, so too have your
family and friends. While it may sometimes seem that time stood
still while you were gone, things have happened that may
make you feel out of the loop for a while. Be prepared to ask
a lot of questions about whatever you need to know to fit back
in. Don't be bashful! Just as with your overseas adjustment, the
more information you have, the easier it will be for you to
settle in.
They had
to adjust, too, without you!
You're
thinking, "How could they have had so much fun without me?
Didn't they miss me?" While you were adjusting to your new life
overseas, your family unit and circle of friends had to adjust
to your absence. You may feel that your place in these groups
has changed. If you picture your family and circle of friends as
a hanging mobile, with each individual representing one piece,
you can begin to appreciate the rebalancing that must take place
whenever an essential person departs and returns.
They
don't understand what I experienced!
You're
right, they don't. Could you fully understand how profound your
experience was going to be before you left? Probably not. When
you show someone a photo and they seem disinterested, they
probably do not realize how many emotions and experiences
are attached to a photo of you standing in front of the Eiffel
Tower, for example. Telling someone how an experience made you
feel will sound less like bragging and may hold the attention
of your friends and family members longer than pure
descriptions.
Adapted
from "Back in the USA"
by Dawn Kepets. |
