The Art of Coming Home

226 Pages·2001·1.501 MB·English

by  Craig Storti

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ffrroomm aa SSttrruuggggllee ttoo aann AArrtt E TTHHEE AARRTT OOFF

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Expecting that home will be the way it was when you left? Are you instead shocked
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to discover that both you and home have changed? The Art of Coming Home offers O CCOOMMIINNGG
the solid advice you need to reduce the stress of making the transition home.
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Leave-taking, the honeymoon stage, reverse culture shock, and eventual re-

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adjustment—The Art of Coming Home lays out the four stages of the reentry pro-
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cess and details practical strategies for dealing with the challenges you will face
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each step of the way. Veteran trainer, consultant, and world adventurer Craig Storti
sketches the workplace challenges faced by returning business executives as well as I
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the reentry issues of spouses, younger children, and teenagers. He also addresses in
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detail the special issues faced by exchange students, international volunteers, mili-

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tary personnel and their families, and missionaries and their children.
Whether you are a recent returnee or are just now thinking of moving abroad, O HHOOMMEE
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The Art of Coming Home sets itself apart as it brings the process of returning home
right to the heart of the overseas experience. E
“A masterful, credible overview of the reentry process. Corporations,
government bureaus, the military, and missionary groups would be wise
to purchase a copy of Craig’s book for each expatriate family.”
—Clyde Austin, Professor, Abilene Christian University
Craig Storti is founder and director of Communicating Across
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Cultures, a Washington, DC-based intercultural communication
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training and consulting firm specializing in the design and
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FPO delivery of seminars on cross-cultural adjustment and repa- ig
triation. A former Peace Corps volunteer, he is the author of
S “A valuable resource for expatriates returning
several best-selling books including The Art of Crossing Cul- t
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tures, Cross-Cultural Dialogues, and Figuring Foreigners Out. home, the families returning with them, their
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Storti is a veteran in the field of crossing cultures and a media
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employers, and family or friends who want to
spokesperson on issues of intercultural relations. His work has appeared in the
Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Chicago understand and support their transition.”
Tribune. Having spent nearly a quarter of his life ISBN 1-85788-297-0
abroad, he now lives in Westminster, Maryland. —Donna Stringer, President, Executive Diversity Services Inc.
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Business/Travel
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$16.95 US/£10.99 UK
Nicholas Brealey Publishing/Intercultural Press
Author of The Art of Crossing Cultures
Art of Coming 6 x 9 cover 1 4/9/01, 4:54 PM
THE ART OF
COMING
HOME
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Craig Storti is available as a trainer/consultant in the subjects covered in
this book. He can be reached at
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Craig Storti is also the author of
The Art of Crossing Cultures
Cross-Cultural Dialogues: 74 Brief Encounters with Cultural Difference
Figuring Foreigners Out
Incident at Bitter Creek
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THE ART OF
COMING
HOME
CRAIG STORTI
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This edtion first published by Nicholas Brealey in association with
Intercultural Press in 2001.
Intercultural Press, Inc. Nicholas Brealey Publishing
PO Box 700 3-5 Spafield Street
Yarmouth, Maine 04096 USA London EC1R 4QB, UK
001-207-846-5168 44-207-430-0224
Fax: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.interculturalpress.com www.nbrealey-books.com
First published by Intercultural Press in 1996
© 1996, 2001 by Craig Storti
Design and production of interior: Patty J. Topel
Cover design: Ken Leeder
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except
in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
ISBN: 1-931930-14-7
Printed in the United States of America
05 04 03 02 01 4 5 6 7 8
The Library of Congress has
previously catalogued this edition as follows
Storti, Craig.
The art of coming home/Craig Storti
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-877864-47-1
1. Reverse culture shock. 2. Repatriation. 3. Social adjustment. 4. Cross-
cultural orientation. I. Title.
GN517.S74 1997
302.'14—dc21 96-35182
CIP
Substantial discounts on bulk quantities are available. For details, dis-
count information, or to request a free catalogue, please contact the
publishers at the addresses given above.
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Dedication
To Joseph Coyle and
Sally Di Paula
for helping us home
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.............................................................. xi
vii
Introduction ................................................................... xiii
1 Coming Home................................................................ 1
The Issues................................................................... 3
What the Returnee Can Do...........................................37
2 The Stages of Reentry....................................................45
Leave-Taking and Departure.........................................47
The Honeymoon..........................................................49
Reverse Culture Shock .................................................51
Readjustment .............................................................59
3 The Return of the Employee...........................................67
Issues for the Employee...............................................68
Issues for the Organization ..........................................79
What the Organization Can Do......................................82
What the Employee Can Do ..........................................95
The Stages of Workplace Reentry ..................................98
4 The Return of Spouses and Children..............................103
Issues for the Spouse ................................................104
What Spouses Can Do ................................................111
Issues for Younger Children........................................113
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T H E A R T O F C O M I N G H O M E
What Parents Can Do for Younger Children ...................114
Issues for Teenagers ..................................................116
What Parents Can Do for Teenagers .............................128
What Teens Can Do ...................................................132
5 Special Populations.....................................................137
I. Exchange Students ..................................................138
The Issues................................................................139
What Exchange Students and Their Families Can Do .....148
II. International Voluntary Organizations ......................150
The Issues................................................................151
What Returning Volunteers Can Do .............................158
III. Military Personnel and Their Families.......................160
The Issues................................................................161
viii
What Military Returnees and Their Families Can Do......169
IV. Missionaries and Missionary Children........................170
Issues for Missionaries...............................................171
Issues for Missionary Children ....................................175
What Missionaries and Their Children Can Do ..............180
Epilogue .........................................................................185
Useful Resources..............................................................189
Bibliography....................................................................193
Index .............................................................................199
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Figures
1.1 What Family and Friends Can Do ....................................34
ix
1.2 Rewards of the Expatriate Experience..............................43
2.1 Some Variables Affecting Reentry ...................................63
3.1 What Returnees Offer Their Organization.........................87
3.2 Recommended Content for a Repatriation Workshop .........88
3.3 What Others Can Do......................................................89
4.1 Symptoms of Reentry Shock in Older Children
and Teenagers ............................................................126
4.2 The Value of the Overseas Experience............................127
5.1 Ten Ways International Volunteers
Know They Have Readjusted.........................................159
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