Reverse Culture Shock: What It Felt Like Coming Home After 10 Months in France

What Coming Home After Living Abroad Actually Felt Like

Leaving France after 10 months was definitely bittersweet. It was hard to believe I was leaving the place I had called home for almost a year. I had developed a routine, made friends, and, overall, become comfortable in what had once been a completely unfamiliar place.

So while I was excited to go home and see my family, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little sad to leave the life I had created there.

Getting on the plane knowing I was going home was a weird feeling. I kept thinking that I wouldn’t actually feel like I was going home until I physically made it there. And when I finally landed in Philadelphia and got off the plane, I had this immediate thought:

Whoa. This feels weird.

I was seeing things that were completely familiar but suddenly felt unfamiliar. The things I had grown up around felt foreign for a moment. And don’t even get me started on how strange it felt to actually understand all of the conversations happening around me.

This feeling didn’t last long, but it was definitely something I wasn’t prepared for. I had experienced culture shock when I first moved to France, but I didn’t expect coming home to come with its own version of it.

What Is Reverse Culture Shock?

Culture shock usually refers to the process of adjusting to a foreign culture. Reverse culture shock is experiencing that same feeling when you return to your own culture after living somewhere else.

I wasn’t gone forever, and I wasn’t moving home permanently after years abroad. But when you spend 10 months living in a different country and adapting to a different culture, you inevitably change. So when you return to the place you came from, there’s still an adjustment period.

And for me, that adjustment started the second I stepped off the plane.

Everything Was Familiar, But Somehow Felt Different

Walking through the airport, I was immediately surrounded by American culture: American-style restaurants, signs in English, and people speaking English everywhere.

Obviously, I knew I was going back to the United States. I knew I would be surrounded by English. But after months of navigating life in France, it was strange to suddenly understand everything around me without even trying.

I had missed that, but I wasn't expecting it to feel overwhelming.

Even the atmosphere felt different. The size and layout of things, the way people interacted, the restaurants and stores—it all felt slightly different because I had gotten so used to what life looked like in France and Europe in general.

It wasn't necessarily better or worse. It was just different.

And honestly, the shock wore off pretty quickly. Once I made it home and got some sleep after a very long travel day, things started feeling pretty normal again.

I Wasn't the Same Person Who Left

If I had to pinpoint the biggest reason coming home felt strange, it would be this:

I wasn't the same person who left.

I didn’t just spend 10 months in France.

I lived independently. I traveled around Europe. I took countless solo trips to places I had always wanted to visit. I navigated unfamiliar cities and transportation systems. I learned how to build a routine somewhere completely new. I became comfortable being on my own. I experienced a different culture, met people I never would have met at home, and figured things out without my normal support system.

I did things that, if you had told me a few years ago that I would be doing them on my own, I probably would have laughed in your face.

Some of those experiences even started with trips I never would have imagined taking by myself. [How I Plan a Solo Trip From Start to Finish.]

So when I came home, home was the same, but I wasn't.

I think that's what made coming home feel strange. I wasn't returning as exactly the same person who had boarded that flight 10 months earlier.

What I Miss About France

There are a lot of things I miss about France.

I miss walking everywhere. I miss the food. I miss being able to hop on a train and end up somewhere completely different. I miss cute cafés and the boulangerie down the street with fresh bread and pastries. I miss the friends I made. I miss the lovely dinners with my host family. I miss my daily routine, spontaneous weekend trips, and, honestly, just the feeling of being abroad.

I also miss how easy it was to travel around Europe. Having so many places within a relatively short train or flight away made weekend trips feel completely normal.

[My Solo Travel Week in Spain: A Realistic Itinerary + What I'd Do Again.]

But even though I miss all of these things, I don't necessarily want to live in France forever.

I think you can miss a place without wanting to live there for the rest of your life.

I could say I miss the person I was in France, but guess what?

I brought her with me. And she's here to stay.

What I Was Excited to Come Home To

Of course, missing France doesn't mean I wasn't excited to come home.

I was excited to see my family, my friends, and Bear. I was excited to be back in familiar places, have my own routines again, and have a routine that doesn't revolve around watching kids (no hate though).

I was excited for some good Mexican food, American conveniences, having my own space, and being back in a place where I truly feel comfortable.

I was also excited to be able to communicate effortlessly again. There is something so nice about not having to translate, think about how you're phrasing something, or worry about whether you've misunderstood what someone said.

And, honestly, I was excited to not have to figure everything out all the time.

Living abroad teaches you how to be independent, but there's also something comforting about being somewhere where you already know how everything works.

So, How Long Did My Reverse Culture Shock Last?

For me, my reverse culture shock probably lasted about half a day.

Honestly, after getting a good night's sleep following a very long travel day, everything felt pretty normal again.

I tend to adjust to things pretty quickly, and I think that has a lot to do with what my life has looked like over the past 10 months. I've gotten used to constantly adapting to new places, routines, people, and situations.

The shock was really strongest between getting off the airplane and officially making it home.

Then it was almost like:

Okay. Back to the life I left 10 months ago.

It wasn't days or weeks of feeling disconnected from home, which might seem strange considering this is where I grew up. But I think everyone's experience with reverse culture shock is different. How long you lived abroad, where you lived, how different the culture was, and how much your life changed while you were away can all play a role.

For me, it was less about feeling like I didn't belong at home and more about realizing just how much I had changed while I was away.

What Living Abroad Changed About How I See Home

Living abroad has made me appreciate things I previously took for granted.

Like free public bathrooms. Seriously.

But beyond that, I've started noticing cultural differences that I never really thought about before.

One of the biggest things I noticed while living in France was how much slower and more relaxed the pace of life can be in Europe compared to the United States. Americans tend to be much more focused on being productive, maximizing our time, and constantly being on the go.

I don't think either way is necessarily better or worse. But I do think we can learn from each other.

Maybe there is something to be said for slowing down. Maybe there is also something to be said for the American ability to work hard and make things happen. I think experiencing different cultures gives you the opportunity to take pieces of each one and decide what actually works for you.

And that brings me to another thing I've learned:

My way isn't the only way.

There isn't one right path through life.

Everyone has their own journey, and you can learn so much about how you want to live your own life by seeing how other people live theirs.

Living abroad also completely changed my relationship with independence. I know now that I'm capable of so much more than I thought I was—or, at the very least, more than I gave myself credit for.

Things that used to seem daunting to do alone now seem like a walk in the park.

It's amazing how much experience can change your perspective.

And maybe most importantly, I realized how much "home" is connected to people, not just a place.

Toward the end of my time in France, the things I was missing weren't necessarily specific Kentucky things. I wasn't constantly dreaming about a particular restaurant or a particular street.

I was missing things like having a nice dinner and good conversation with family or friends. Brief conversations with strangers. Familiar interactions. Little moments that are woven into the culture you're used to.

That's what I realized I was missing.

Not necessarily a place.

People. Connection. Familiarity.

Coming Home Doesn't Mean Going Back to Who You Were

Before I came home, I was actually a little nervous.

I worried that everything would feel different because I had changed. I wondered if I would come home and feel like I didn't quite fit into the life I had left behind.

But instead, I think home has become better because I've changed.

Coming home after living abroad is its own kind of transition. And I don't have to choose between the person I was at home and the person I became abroad.

I get to be both.

I can appreciate where I came from while still carrying everything I learned while I was away. I can miss France and be happy to be home. I can love my life in Kentucky and still want to explore the rest of the world.

After 10 months in France and two weeks traveling through Croatia, Montenegro, and Albania, I'm officially back home—but this isn't the end of my time living abroad.

In a few months, I'll be headed to Australia for a working holiday, so I'm pretty sure this won't be my last experience with the strange feeling of leaving one version of home for another.

And if there's one thing I've learned from the past year, it's that sometimes the places that change you the most aren't the places you end up staying forever.

Sometimes, they're just the places you needed to go.

Connect

Join my journey and travel insights.

Check out my socials!

© 2025. All rights reserved.