While the return journey is as varied as each individual coming home, the experience may follow a predictable pattern. Four general stages have been identified, but the length and intensity of each stage may be highly variable, depending on the person and his or her experience. Like many transitions, these stages my come around several times in different settings and at different phases in your life.

Stage one: leave-taking and departure

• begins some time before you actually leave the country and culture of your program
• ideally, includes intentional farewells and closure with people important to you during your OCS experience
• may combine feelings of anticipation, excitement, and ambivalence about your return home or to school, looking forward to reconnecting, but unsure of how it may go

Stage two: the honeymoon

• feels exhilarating during the first one or two weeks, because you are the center of attention, you can do/eat/smell all the things you've missed (can occur first at home, then again when you return to school)
• may not see home or school "so much for what it is, but for what you need it to be"

Stage three: reverse culture shock

• usually sets in when you have made your rounds of initial visits and connections, and now it's time to settle down to life-as-we-know-it
• may feel judgmental about the US and/or Carleton, overwhelmed by the obsessiveness about time, schedules, and expectations in classes, and doubtful about the wisdom of returning, majoring in a certain field, living on campus, etc.
• may want to resist the pressures of family or Carleton, may not want to let go of your OCS experience, may feel the urge to escape or withdraw, or may feel downright depressed

Stage four: readjustment

• recognize that re-entry shock is not permanent
• put your OCS experience and views of the US in perspective to achieve a more balanced point of view
• feel less anxious or doubtful as you become more relaxed and familiar with your surroundings
• recognize that your cross-cultural awareness does not require an either/or approach, that you can integrate your OCS experience into your own US/Carleton life
• find that your friends and family become more understanding as they slowly hear more stories and comprehend the complexity and richness of your experience