Study Abroad

Study Abroad Pre-departure Information for Parents and Guardians

SUPPORTING YOUR STUDENT IN THEIR EXPERIENCE ABROAD

Country Research

Students should learn about the country where they will be studying and living in order to minimize culture shock and understand the context of their experiences.

The U.S. State Department is a great resource for international travel. They provide free of charge, updated information on the country, travel warnings, health and safety, overseas emergency advice, etc. Check the State Department’s website for Consular Information and Travel Warnings (if any) specific to the host country in which they will be studying at www.travel.state.gov.

There are many sources of information about the student’s host country: books, movies, embassies, magazines etc. Travel guidebooks are an excellent resource for obtaining information on the host country. The Study Abroad Office strongly suggests purchasing a guidebook before departure. We recommend:

• Lonely Planet
• Rough Guide
• Let’s Go

Visiting Your Student Overseas

Please respect the academic calendar of your student’s host institution and do not plan visits that jeopardize any academic responsibilities your student may have. Instead, visiting during vacation periods or after the program has ended will allow your student maximum freedom to demonstrate their mastery of their new hometown and to show you around without constraints.

Culture Shock

No one enters a new culture simply as an individual -- the history, values and attitudes of one’s home culture are the “extra baggage” you bring with you. Many attitudes, values and beliefs are so taken for granted that they are assumed to be the norm for all cultures. In reality each culture is different, but not better or worse than the other.

At first your student will probably feel only excitement and anticipation upon arrival in the new culture. However, after several weeks, you may find that they have less energy and even less enthusiasm. You may receive calls or emails about how s/he is irritated with the food, people, and customs of the host country. New experiences change from being exciting to strange and different.

If you recognize that this disorientation is a normal part of living in a new culture, you can reassure your student that the depressed feeling will pass. Friends and family at this point should encourage the student to accept the new culture, both its good and bad parts, so that they can begin to enjoy new experiences again, and to stay active rather than retreating into communities of negative behaviors and people.

While it may be somewhat painful, culture shock is a mind-stretching process that usually leads to understanding and tolerance for both US and host cultures. You can remind your student that there are many positive actions that can be taken to help overcome feelings of loneliness and withdrawal from a new culture. Keeping busy and setting goals are important.

You should also encourage your student to reach out to local services and people rather than relying on email and telephone calls home – these can really prevent a student from engaging with people, perpetuating culture shock and preventing healing.

All students abroad will be able to find services to help them through the highs and lows inherent in the process of cultural adjustment. Universities overseas will have International Offices with staff familiar with the stages of culture shock, and offer counseling services just as Towson does. Study abroad programs will also provide the benefit of in-country representatives who the student can contact for help.

Reaching out to a real, live person is generally more beneficial to a suffering person than electronic or telephonic communication from home, and sometimes these types of correspondence can make things even worse. It’s important for the student to know that caring people exist in their new home, and not just back at home.

It’s also important to encourage your student to avoid spending too much time with other Americans or expatriates who reinforce and perpetuate negativity. This will lead the student to conclude that the stereotypes are true and prevent integration into the local culture. Getting involved with local people can mitigate feelings of isolation and culture shock and is an ideal solution that many study abroad returnees recommend.

The Study Abroad Staff should also be considered a resource as we have all survived culture shock through our personal experiences abroad.

Cultural Adjustment Cycle

The following outlines the stages of adjustment that characterize culture shock, and suggests how friends and parents can offer support. For more information on culture shock and what to expect, go to the Resources section on our website.

Honeymoon Period

You a rrive overseas with great expectations and a positive mind-set. If anything, your expectations are too high, and your attitudes toward the host country and your upcoming experiences are unrealistic. Anything new is exciting to you at this stage but you mostly notice similarities between cultures. This state of ‘e uphoria’ may last from a week or two to a month, but the letdown is inevitable.

How to help : Listen and remember these stories for future reference. Asking specific questions can make the experience come alive for you as well.

Irritation and Hostility

Your f ocus turns from similarities to differences. You begin to see differences everywhere and the differences you notice are troubling and unsettling. You b low up at the little things. Insignificant difficulties turn into major catastrophes. This stage is identified as "culture shock" - you may experience any or all of the symptoms associated with this stage.

How to help: At this point, you will be hearing about what is wrong, and your student may be contacting you only during their low points. Try to remember that they are likely also experiencing periods of happiness and things going right, so do not automatically conclude that your student must return home immediately. Encourage your student to be specific about what is going wrong and to seek out help with local representatives for solutions to concrete problems not attributable to cultural differences. You can recommend that your student get involved with local clubs or groups to make connections with people with similar interests – it’s important to stay busy and set realistic goals during this period. It’s not mandatory that the student succeeds – only that s/he survives. Everyone goes through some level of culture shock – help your student to realize that there’s no shame in admitting they are culture-shocked, and that many others have survived it.

Suggest some of the following activities that can aid in adjusting to a new culture and way of life:

• Share feelings with other foreign students or advisers.
• Write in a journal or read a letter from family or friends.
• Improve language abilities through talking to people, going to the movies, reading local papers and magazines.
• Learn about the new school and the new neighborhood.
• Pursue or develop a hobby.
• Join a club or athletic team.
• Volunteer for a cause you believe in.
• Attend religious services.
• Plan excursions.
• Maintain a sense of humor.
• Speak with people in the International Office at your host university or your Program Director or TU Study Abroad Adviser.

Adjustment

The crisis is now over and you are on your way to recovery. This step may come so gradually that, at first, you will be unaware it is happening. You b egin to orient yourself and are able to interpret some of the subtle cultural clues which you did not notice earlier - the culture seems more familiar. You become more comfortable and feel less isolated. Your sense of humor returns and you realize the situation is not hopeless after all.

How to help: Recognize that your student is making it through the storm, and revel in the stories of successes, new friendships, experiences, travel, etc.! Their survival seems assured, and they may even find success!

Acceptance (biculturalism)

You c an now function in two cultures with confidence . You can maintain your own culture and recognize that members of other cultures rightfully want to do the same. You f ind many new ways of doing and saying things. Personal attitudes in your host culture have become enjoyable and you will miss them when you return home. You can expect to experience "reverse culture shock" upon your return to the US. In some cases reverse culture shock can cause greater distress than the original culture shock.

How to help: Don’t judge the student who adopts new habits or outlooks on life. Maintaining some customs and habits fondly remind the student of their home away from home. Listen to stories and look at photos from the time abroad.

Re-entry Issues

Remember that culture shock can happen upon return to the United States as well. Your student may have adjusted well and learned to enjoy the culture and way of life in their host country. Upon returning home, you may find that your student experiences disorientation and a yearning for the host culture. The steps they took to adjust to the host environment will be useful in readjustment to the home environment: keep busy and set goals. Remind your student to give it time to readjust and to keep an open mind.

Some students who did not experience culture shock while abroad will instead suffer from it upon their return home. Parents can use the same tools outlined above for culture shock overseas to help the student adjust to reverse culture shock at home.

Please remember that the Study Abroad Office is also available for help, and that we are interested in talking with your student about their experiences, seeing their photographs, and helping them readjust to life back on campus. We offer a reentry program to meet the students’ needs, and will advertise activities on our website, as well as informing the student directly.

You have reached the end of our manual, but not the end of the study abroad experience. We hope its effects will last a lifetime and provide for positive changes in your life and your student’s life for years to come.

Back to Study Abroad Pre-departure Information for Parents and Guardians