Tips for post-exchange life

Hello everyone!

Now I'm back here and I am enjoying it quite much. For past week I've been jogging, picking berries and mushrooms, meeting my friends and spending quality time with my family. Tomorrow me, my sisters, dad and nephew will head to Oulu and spend few days relaxing there. So life is really going well here and I am getting better from the culture shock I got when I arrived back in Finland.

I am surprised how easy it was to get used to old routines and culture, but obviously there was some hard parts too. Thats why I am sharing few tips how to make comeback to your home country easier:

1. Accept
It sounds like admitting you have an addiction, but it is a fact that you should start progressing leaving already when you are still in the exchange country. For me one thing was making a list of all the things I miss in Finland. List included as example different foods, people, things to do, places etc.

2. Give yourself time
When you go back, your friends and family must be excited to see you and hear everything. It is great and speaking is one of the best things, but give yourself time to adjust to environment. Usually we people happen to change after we've been living so long abroad. So give yourself time, relax and do things you really want.

3. Meet your people
Already before I came back to Finland I decided to stay whole August in Joensuu at my childhood home town, where my mom and other sister are still living. Quite many of my friends are also still living here and rest of them, just like me, visit here during summer time. So coming here was a good idea. After I had relaxed few days with my family at the countryside I started seeing and meeting my friends. It was good to tell about my exchange and listen what has happened in their lives. Also remember, they are interested hearing how everything was during your exchange, but don't grieve in sadness and don't surprise if they don't wanna hear every single story of every week. For me this blog/vlog was one way to keep my friends updated and because of this they had followed my time abroad already somehow. People make coming back so much easier. I love people, people are the best!

4. Keep in contact with your exchange mates
Though your family and friends are helping a lot, there is nothing like a little peer support from your exchange friends. You own friends and family like to listen how good time you had, but your exchange friends want to know how are you doing back in your home country. For me checking Snapchats of my friends in their home countries has relieved the feeling of being back. Also they really know what you are going through, so help is there.

5. Goals
Make yourself some goals. No matter are those tiny or big, make some goals. Here I want to eat this food I didn't get in exchange, then I start uni, next week I'll meet my friends, this weekend I want to travel to other side of Finland. Goals make the start easier and you have something to look forward.

I hope these few things help you, at least I found those kinda helpful! Write down if you have any other advices to get used to normal life! So far everything is going great here and I wish all the best for everyone trying to survive from culture shock after you've gone back to home country! Cheers!

- Uppa