Judith Weiss wrote:
> I am posting a question for a friend (classmate) who recently moved home
> to Indonesia after 2 years in the USA getting a MA degree. Her husband and
> children stayed at home and were very supportive. She went home during
> each vacation. Now she is back home for good and emails me that the
> re-entry process is harder than she thought and do I know any articles or
> books about re-entry of this type?
Judith:
As a fellow international worker, I can assure your friend that the social
process of adjusting to life back home is the same whether you are an
American, an Asian, African, whatever. A lot of research was done by the
Peace Corps following Americans living abroad for short terms. Fulbright
also has a load of information on this, as does the United States
Department of State.
I would search "culture shock" and related terms. There is a ton of
information out there. Although your friend's world is probably little
changed from 2 years ago, she is no longer the same person they sent away.
It will take time for her to "catch up" with her family and vice versa.
It is always a difficult transition.
She should search out others who have lived abroad for extended periods
for support while she makes the adjustment.
Vana Prewitt
vprewitt@bellsouth.net
--Vana Prewitt <vprewitt@mail.rdu.bellsouth.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>