The Reverse Culture Shock Effect and Returning Home From Your Study Abroad Experience 

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Temple chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain last semester and returned in early May. Everybody I knew that studied abroad in Europe always told me that the transition back to the United States was rough, but I never expected that idea to hold so true to me. Before leaving for Spain, I was so incredibly nervous and even considered not going at all a few times. I pushed through these thoughts and got on the plane on a cold snowy night in early January.  

For the first couple of months that I was living and studying in Madrid, there were things about the States that I consciously missed. There were small things like getting free water while eating at a restaurant, but also bigger things like the lifestyle I was living with my friends in my apartment in college. However, as the days went on in Madrid, I began to become aware of things there that I would miss when I left. Coming back to America was bittersweet for many reasons, but for me, the readjustment period was almost worse than the time it took for me to acclimate to life in Spain.  

Something that I noticed immediately after wandering the streets of Madrid for a few days was the number of people in the streets. They loitered at public places and outdoor patios, despite the weather. No matter the time of day, the streets in Spain were filled with people laughing and enjoying each other’s company. This is something that, to me, is unique to Spain, or Europe in general. In the states, especially in Philadelphia, places close earlier, and loitering on the streets does not have as much appeal. 

This brings up the idea of third spaces, something I feel we lack here in America. When I was bored or homesick in Madrid, I would pull myself out of bed, find a cafe, and just sit for hours doing everything from homework to journaling, to planning my week in my notebook. There was no rush for me to get up for a new party to be seated, and there is a prevalent culture surrounding these cafés in which people can use them as places to simply sit at, separate from home or work. 

Doing things like sitting at a café seemed much more casual and easier to do when I was in Spain. Despite living in a big city like Philadelphia, filled with infinite options for coffee, food, and baked goods, leaving my smaller community near campus to go check out a new place seems more strenuous than it did in Spain. While Philadelphia is considered a walkable city, there is something so starkly different to me regarding how it feels to stroll down the street and sit down at a café. Sure, it was Europe, which is objectively more beautiful than most American cities, but there was something different in the culture; the way people walked slowly, and the way I was never rushed out of my seat because my server wanted to maximize their tables for the day.  

Now I am back in Philadelphia, taking the Broad Street Line and driving my car, narrowly avoiding the daily fender benders that come with driving in this city. The first few months coming back were difficult, but as time goes on, the nostalgic feeling gives me motivation for the future to try to make it back to Spain. Going abroad has also taught me the lesson of being present in the moment, and that applies to living here in Philadelphia, too. I miss the lifestyle I had in Spain every day, but the whole experience has made me realize how I want to live my life, no matter where I end up.