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Just as you made plans to go abroad, it’s equally essential to for you homecoming. Prepare for coming home and your transition back will go smoother.
U.S.Customs
U.S. customs agents regulate who and what comes in and out of the United States. Regardless if you’re coming home on plane, ship, train or bus, you will have to clear customs when you get back to the United States. Follow these suggestions to help ensure your trip through customs goes smoothly.
Before You Leave
U.S. Customs charges a tax on items purchased overseas if they exceed a certain value. If you bring expensive items (computers, cameras, watches, etc) manufactured in a foreign country, you may have to pay a tax on each item when you come back to the US, unless you can prove you owned them prior to leaving.
One way to avoid paying additional taxes is to register your items before you leave. You can do this at international airports (e.g. JFK, SFO, LAX, etc) before you depart. Visit the U.S. Customs website for more details.
Returning
Regulations spell out what and how much you can bring back to the U.S. Here are the basics:
- Depending on the country you visit, you can bring between $200 to $1600 worth of goods back tax-free
- You are limited one liter (33.8 oz) of alcohol tax-free
- You must be 21 years old to bring alcohol to the U.S.
- No more than 100 cigars or 200 cigarettes can be included in your tax-free goods
- You must declare foreign currency if it equals $5,000 or more
- Products from certain nations (e.g. Cuba) are prohibited
Visit the U.S. Customs website for further details.
Reverse Cultural Shock
Reverse cultural shock is the anxiety you may feel when you get back to the United States. When you were abroad you will have changed and grown, but things at home usually stay the same. This is where the anxiety starts. Some of the symptoms of reverse cultural shock are:
- Feeling as if no one can understand your study abroad experience
- You may become frustrated by not being able to communicate the significance of your time abroad
- Desires to only associate with students who were abroad with you
- You may become critical of customs, values or beliefs in the U.S. that didn’t bother you before you left
- You feel that there is no outlet for you to talk about your experiences
Reverse cultural shock can make coming home bitter sweet. Follow these suggestions on ways to combat reverse cultural shock:
- If your school or a school in you area offers a re-entry seminar, TAKE IT
- Stay in contact and share your frustration with other students who were abroad with you
- Keep a journal or scrapbook of things that pertain to your host country
- Join international student organizations
- Volunteer to help other students going abroad or foreign students coming to study at your campus
- If you learn a foreign language, join conversation groups so that you don’t loose your language skills
- If you plan to further your abroad experience by working abroad, begin to search for opportunities
- Plan you next trip abroad
Interested in sharing your abroad experience with us? We like to hear all about it. Let us know
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