When you were abroad you had many new exciting experiences, all of which challenged you—and likely changed you too. While you were away, people and things at home most likely changed some, too. Realize that you may not feel completely at home in your environment for a while, but that in time you will begin to feel at home again. 

Your time abroad has taught you just how rich and complex the world can be. You have learned how cultures approach even the simplest aspects of daily life—from what they eat for breakfast to how they greet others—as you came to know these cultures, you came to love some of these new habits. You don’t have to leave these behind when you return. Bring them back with you—drink tea with milk, have a hearty breakfast of upma, go on a treasure hunt for the perfect croissant. This will help keep your experience alive.

Remember, too, that you have experienced transitions before—not necessarily reentry, but other unsettling periods in your life when you had to make adjustments and changes in your lifestyle and your self-perception—and you managed.*

The links below provide additional information and helpful resources about readjusting to life in the US and at Purchase. There are also links to help you start thinking about how to weave your experience into your career.