Do Exchange Students Change?

1. Do Exchange Students Change? Ben jij veranderd?

2. August 2005

3. from your place to this country • Cultural Exchange Program • Culture: set of values • Another culture is not a false copy of your culture • Culture - Has to do with language

4. Dutch Orientation Course

5. Wat betekent: Verzuipen drinken in buitenland of verdrinken Hoe goed begrijp jij ons nu?

6. Values

7. Values Individualism/Privacy vs Group’s Welfare Personal Control over the situation vs Fate Directness/Openness/Honesty vs Indirectness/Ritual/”Face” Time & Its Control vs Human Interaction Informality vs Formality

8. Values Competition vs Cooperation Practicality/Efficiency vs Idealism Change vs Tradition But: Most values are subconcious and no part of our daily awareness

9. Have you seen differences between “home and here”? Have you adapted to cope with those differences?

10. Definition of Adaptation? Developing skills at a different cultural practice in order to function effectively in that culture.

11. after several stages of Culture Shock Most of you have adapted!!

12. Culture shock ?? The sense of disorientation and discomfort that comes living in a foreign culture markedly different from one’s own.

13. you,now? Culture Shock Cycle Months Pre-Departure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Return …... Normal Level of Feelings Adapted from a model by Robert Kohls

14. Do you remember those phases in this year?

15. ? Culture Shock Cycle Months Pre-Departure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Return …... Normal Level of Feelings Adapted from a model by Robert Kohls

16. When you were adapted: when you go back you may have to cope with culture shock stages like in this year, but that is unexpected because you go to YOUR HOME

17. Reverse culture shock

18. Reverse Culture Shock (Re-entry Shock) The often unexpected and difficult period of disorientation and readjustment ...... experienced after returning to one’s own culture after an extended period of living abroad. Very few people believe they will experience reverse culture shock

19. You can prepare for re-entry by: • Anticipating Reverse Culture Shock. • “Normalizing” these phenomena. • you are not “special” • find peers with similar experience (ROTEX) • considering that you may have changed:

20. For many of you this year was • The most exciting year of your live. • The most challenging year of your live. • The most growth-producing year of your live. • The most broadening year of your live. • The most memorable year of your live.

21. If you talk much about these experiences you will notice that your audience will turn away from you, this happens everywhere. Tell your story to one friend at a time, point to point, so that you can tell it many times to different friends.

22. You may miss your hostparents and friends in the Netherlands even your bike and the weather and maybe, most of all, you will miss your exchange friends

23. Like in this year, you will feel lonesome somedays and not understood. But, tomorrow is another day!! “Het komt goed”

24. Be an ambassador for this program after some time you will recognize the benefits of this experience In anAFS study it was shown that participants in exchange programsscore higher in:

25. the following traits understanding other cultures international awareness critical thinking non-materialism independence and responsibility for self awareness and appreciation of home country and host country

26. Stay well !! keep in touch with each other

34. Help to make the world smaller