REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

So, you've been living and working here in Brazil and now it's time to go back home.  Be prepared to experience Reverse Culture Shock and know how to deal with it. Maybe you've only been here for a few months or perhaps you've been here for years, chances are that you will experience Reverse Culture Shock to some degree. Obviously, that all depends on how long you have been here and your adaptation to the Brazilian culture.

To understand Reverse Culture Shock you must understand that it is very real and that in most ways exactly the same as the Culture Shock you experienced when you arrived here. Culture Shock has four phases and three possible outcomes, which I will briefly describe here.

Honeymoon phase – This sets in the moment you arrive, everything is new, different, exciting and beautiful. This phase lasts for the first few months, but like all honeymoons it will eventually come to an end.

Negotiation phase – Usually anywhere from third to sixth month following arrival. This phase is typified by trying to make the mental negotiation between aspects of your old home and culture to your new home and culture.

Adjustment phase – Usually anywhere from six months to one year, this is where you actually have accepted your new culture and start making the adaptations to harmonize it completely with your old culture, traditions and habits.

Mastery phase – This is the phase where you have successfully adapted to your new home and you are integrated into the culture and society, you see yourself and interact with those around you as though you were one of ‘them'.

The three possible outcomes of the adaptation we know as Culture Shock are as follows:

Rejection – This happens when one is completely incapable of accepting and rejects the culture, traditions, ideas, etc., of the host country. These are the ones for whom going back home is the only answer and they usually do so quite quickly. Oddly enough, these ‘Rejectors' are the very same individuals who tend to experience Reverse Culture Shock to a greater degree following repatriation. Nobody can really determine why this is the case.

Adoption – This happens when one adopts all or most of the aspects of their host country's culture and incorporates them into his/her daily life, almost losing all trace of their ‘former' self. These ‘Adopters' generally end up staying in the host country for the rest of their lives.

Blending – This occurs when one accepts most of the aspects of their host country's culture and blends them with aspects of their ‘home' country culture. They become truly cosmopolitan.


Repatriation and Reverse Culture Shock

You will experience all or most of the same phases with Reverse Culture Shock that you went through with Culture Shock upon arrival. It may set in the moment you set foot on home soil or it may strike shortly afterward. You will feel like a ‘foreigner' in your own country – a fish out of water. In order to successfully repatriate and re-integrate into your ‘home' culture you need to understand six things.

You're Different – You are NOT the same person you were before you left home. Your experience has changed you and for that reason you may not be able to simply accept certain aspects of your home culture anymore. Your friends may not be able to accept the changes in you or they've changed in different directions too, so don't just assume you will go right back to the way things were before.

Your ‘Home' Country has Changed - Time moves on and everything changes. No matter how short a period of time you have been away it will never be exactly the same as when you left. Don't expect that or you will be in for a very big letdown. People you know have married, moved away, businesses have changed hands or ceased to exist, familiar locations have been changed to a point where you hardly recognize them anymore. That is usual.

Most People Don't Care About Your Experiences – That's very true in most cases, so save your story telling for your closest friends and don't make every conversation about your travels. Otherwise, your family and friends will become bored quite quickly and begin to avoid you. Don't ‘turn off' your conversations about your experiences completely, just find a suitable balance.

Re-Connect With People and Make New Friends – While it is very important to re-connect with family and old friends, it is equally important to establish new friendships upon repatriation. This keeps the experience ‘new' it helps you not to fall into a boring routine. You will find out shortly after your return home that some old friends have fallen by the wayside, so you need to replace them with new friendships.

Sensory Overload – Be prepared for the barrage of ads, commercials, sounds and sights once you get home. Perhaps you were living in a small town where it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and you are returning to the hustle and bustle of a big city, or vice versa.

It's Okay to be Confused – You don't have to feel bad about nor do you need to hide your confused feelings for being back home. They are completely natural. You may find that you even dislike certain aspects of your home culture that you were completely comfortable with before or never noticed before. You do not need to feel like a ‘traitor' because you no longer see home as being PERFECT.

Cheers,
William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog