Reverse Culture Shock

We can’t inoculate you against reverse culture shock but we can help you minimise its effects.  Homeward Bound can guide you through managing the transition.  It goes without saying that forewarned is forearmed, but our experience is that people don’t do nearly as much as they could to prepare themselves for their return.  We also find that preparation is left much later than is ideal (although we recognise that sometimes you have no choice).  But it is much easier to mentally prepare yourself with a buffer of six or nine months before the return than in a last minute rush when there’s so much to do all at once.

We will give you the benefit of our expertise but we believe that you are the expert on you.  Given time and space and a bit of help, most of us are good at generating our own solutions.  We won’t give you “the answers”.  What we will give you is information and the support you need to find your answer – the one that works for your unique personality in your individual situation.

“I was born and brought up in Britain, lived in Curacao for 16 years then Holland for 16 years then came home to England.  I felt like an alien.  For the first time I feel like an expatriate but I don’t know of which country.”

“I have another life going on in my head.  I think, ‘Oh good it’s nearly time to meet my mates and go out for a drink.’  Then I remember all the pubs will be closed…and anyway I haven’t any mates here.”

“The language has changed.  It’s so much coarser than I remember it and I’m shocked by things I hear on television.”

“I can see people’s eyes glaze over whenever I mention America, but I haven’t lived back here long enough to have anything else to talk about.”

“People are jealous of our experiences.  I’ve told the children not to talk about the wonderful things we did unless they’re asked directly.”

“I’m lonely.”

“We came back six months earlier than we expected which we were fed up about.  We had to go to live in Kent – nowhere near our families or the children’s school.  It rained all the time.  We hated the house.  We were much worse off.  We didn’t know anyone.  There was nothing to do.  I was the most miserable I’ve ever been.”