John WetingYEC Rotary Club of Marquette, Michigan, U.S.A.,

D-6220johnweting@charter.net

Central States Summer Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan , U.S.A.

July 2007

A Tale of Two Lives!Who is nervous about returning home?Who wants to go home for a month and

return to their exchange life? Vertical relationships vs. horizontal

relationshipsHas home changed or has your perception of

the home and the world changed?Look around you are not in this journey

alone!

The Good & Bad of Going HomeThe Good

Seeing family & friendsRenewing relationshipsEating Favorite foodsBack to educationSpeaking native

languageBeing “special”Freedom/Protection

The BadMissing family &

friendsLosing relationshipsMissing favorite foodsNo more easy school!Speaking native

languageBeing “ordinary”Freedom/Protection

Peaks & Valleys – The Emotional Roller Coaster Ride

Seeing family and friends at homeDiscovering things about your own cultureMissing exchange family and friendsHomesick for your adopted cultureWhen peaks and valleys are opposing

Good Day / Bad Day

I have the flexibility to fit in anywhere. I adapt easily. I feel horizontally rooted.

I am bilingual/multilingual. I can empathize with multiple view

points. I respect cultural differences. I have tolerance for ambiguity. I feel challenged/empowered by new

experiences. I am aware of global issues (news,

politics, media, resource distribution, etc.)

I accept challenges to my lifelong beliefs and values.

I have a more complex/defined sense of self.

I act more socially responsible.

I enjoy a personal connection to the larger world; I feel like a “global citizen”.

I take risks and embrace the unknown. I am curious and eager to learn.

I don’t seem to fit in anywhere. I resist change. I feel rootless.

I am semi-lingual in two or more languages.

I am frustrated by my narrow-mindedness of people at home.

I become impatient with monoculturalism.

I am frequently indecisive. I feel bored my the mundane. I am uninformed about local issues and

unable to apply what I’ve learned about the larger world to my life at home.

I am becoming resocialized into U.S. patterns of thought.

I have a more fragmented sense of conflicting identities.

I act judgmental and self-righteous in the face of others’ social choices.

I feel disconnected/alienated from my home environment.

I feel overwhelmed by the known and unknown.

I feel depressed and reluctant to engage.

Borrowed from Coming Home- Relatio9nships, Roots and UnpackingBy Jim Citron and Vija Mendelson, http://www.transitionsabroad.com

Skills you Gained This Past YearThe following are skills that most of you have

likely gained during your year of exchange:PatienceBroader appreciation of others viewsExpressing your appreciation for others

effortsHelping othersPack these skills when you leave and

remember to unpack them when you get home!

Sharing Your Exchange ExperienceThe novel vs. the short story“What happened here while I was gone?”Be careful of comparing culturesSeeing your country and the world through

different filtersOthers will not likely understand your

passionJealousy and/or lack of understanding

Coping With Re-EntryShare, share, shareCommunicate- E-mail, IM, Skype, MySpace, Post

cards, Letters…Seek out other returned exchangeesHigh school, university… getting on with lifePresentations to Rotary, civic groups, churches…Help your Rotary Club find new exchange

students Get involved with your Sponsor DistrictGet involved in ROTEX

ResourcesLinks available at http://www.csrye.org“Going Home”, by Dennis White, Ph.D. (A good read

for the plane ride home!) and “How I have changed. Available at- http://yeoresources.org/4DACTION/RYD_Find_1?wvTable0=24&wvSearch_Field0=3&wvSort_Field0=3&wvSearch_Value0=Rebounds_-_Rotex

http://www.pacific.edu/sis/culture/ (excellent worksheets)

http://www.transitionsabroad.com The Art of Coming Home, STORTI, Craig 2001Google “Cultural re-entry” 0r “Reverse culture shock”

Thank YouThe world is a great book;

he who never stirs from home reads only a page.

Saint Augustine-Carthaginian author, saint, & church father

(354 AD - 430 AD)

As an exchange student, you have read but one chapter,the book and the world lie before you.

Happy discovering!