Consequently,  many  study  abroad  students  feel  as  if  they  have  changed  from  their  8me  away.  Returnees  must  re-­‐acclimate  themselves  to  their  home  life  and  become  accustomed  to  the  norms.    However,  along  the  way,  these  students  may  find  certain  aspects  completely  different  from  their  life  while  abroad.        

 This  is  something  that  is  called  reverse  culture  shock.      

Studying  abroad  provides  students  with  the  opportunity  of  cultural  enrichment  and  exposure  to  a  new  country.    On  the  University  of  Denver’s  study  abroad  site,  they  state  “the  best  way  to  understand  another  culture  is  to  experience  it.”    

Elise  Elder,  DU  Junior  who  studied  abroad  in  Paris,  said  she  experienced  reverse  culture  shock  when  she  made  her  first  trip  to  the  mall  aNer  coming  back  from  Europe.      “I  felt  overwhelmed  when  I  went  to  the  mall  because  of  all  the  English  and  people,”  Elder  said.    

While  abroad,  Elder  said  that  she  thought  Parisians  dressed  beQer  than  Americans  did.    She  also  stated  that  “Parisians  like  to  look  their  best  all  the  8me  and  they  wear  dark  colors.”      One  of  the  first  things  Elder  observed  when  coming  home  was  the  casual  clothing.    Also  while  shopping,  she  couldn’t  help  but  no8ce  the  bright  clothing  found  in  most  stores  

Bria  Whitmore,  DU  Junior  who  studied  abroad  in  Salamanca,  observed  that  everyone  in  Spain  dresses  up.    However,  she  would  s8ll  wear  her  sweats  everyday,  even  though  people  stared.  “I  was  happy  to  be  back  because  I  could  wear  my  sweats  and  Uggs  and  no  one  would  care,”  Whitmore  said.  

Clare  King,  DU  Junior  who  studied  abroad  in  Provence,  was  accustomed  to  the  slow  service  she  received  while  abroad.    So  when  she  came  back  to  America,  she  was  surprised  at  how  quick  the  service  was  in  restaurants.  “In  the  beginning  I  felt  rushed  but  then  it  was  nice  too  because  the  waiters  were  actually  being  aQen8ve,”  King  said.    

The  por8on  sizes  in  America  tend  to  be  bigger  than  what  it  is  in  Europe.    ANer  spending  8me  in  Europe,  students  may  oNen  feel  overwhelmed  with  the  large  por8on  sizes  in  America.    Pictured  above  is  a  typical  por8on  size  in  Europe.      

King  and  Whitmore    both  said  that  going  to  the  grocery  store  was  exci8ng  because  of  all  the  op8ons  that  are  available.  “America  has  so  many  different  types  of  cereal.    I  was  used  to  only  having  three  op8ons  in  Spain,”  Whitmore  said.    

Paying  for  tap  water  is  something  that  does  not  happen  oNen  in  America.    Yet  it  is  something  that  is  common  for  students  while  abroad.    When  Whitmore  returned  to  America,  she  was  excited  and  thankful  for  free  water.      “I  forgot  what  it’s  like  to  have  something  for  free,”  Whitmore  said.    

Elder,  King,  and  Whitmore  all  agreed  that  Americans  are  nicer  than  Europeans.      “Americans  are  much  more  friendly”  and  the  French  can  be  “snooty  and  exclusive,”  King  said.  She  and  Whitmore  also  said  they  missed  hugging  and  did  not  like  the  tradi8onal  gree8ng  of  cheek  kissing.    However,  Elder  said  she  “got  used  to  it”  although  she  was  uncomfortable  with  it  at  first.    

On  DU’s  Study  Abroad  website,  they  post  links  about  reverse  culture  shock  and  how  students  can  deal  with  it.    

Whitmore  said  that  she  is  apart  of  a  Facebook  group  where  she  keeps  in  touch  with  her  friends  from  abroad.    Through  this  group,  Whitmore  is  able  to  talk  with  them  and  see  how  they  are  adjus8ng  back  home.  “We  help  each  other  out  as  much  as  we  can,”  Whitmore  said.    

King  said  she  thought  she  was  going  to  experience  reverse  culture  shock  much  more  than  what  she  actually  did.      But  from  the  shock  that  she  did  experience,  she  said  she  “talked  to  her  parents  and  they  helped  [her]  adjust.”  King’s  main  idea  behind  re-­‐acclima8ng  herself  was  having  pa8ence  to  “remember  how  things  used  to  be,”  she  said.