Vlog News #10 - The End

Musica : Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane Remix) ft. Au Revoir Simone

Keep In Touch With Me

Vlog News #8 - United People

Socialize With Me

NYE Beyond All Expectations

What to do at New Year's Eve is always a mystery but sometimes it can be surprising.

Cosa fare a Capodanno è ogni anno un mistero fino all'ultimo ma a volte può essere sorprendente.

Vlog News #6 - New Year's Eve

MUSIC: Nouvelle Vague - This Is Not A Love Song; Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak remix)

Socialize With Me

Vlog News #5 - One Week in Torino

I wanted to show you more but sometimes you can't record everything. 

MUSIC: Nouvelle Vague - This Is Not A Love Song; Kumisolo - Danse Music

Socialize With Me

Vlog News #4 - No Blah Blah

MUSIC: Nouvelle Vague - This Is Not A Love Song; Parov Stelar - Booty Swing

Follow Me

I Found A House In Paris: What A Stressful Challenge!

Hello everybody, find a low-rent house in Paris is kinda impossible and the bureaucracy doesn't help at all because it's pretty strict. Being an Erasmus it doesn't help as well and let's not even start talking about that I'm Italian. Stressful, demoralizing and exhausting: these words describe at best how it makes you feel looking for a house to rent here in Paris. Below there are some advices...

*****

Ciao a tutti, trovare casa a Parigi è più o meno impossibile e la burocrazia non aiuta per niente considerando che è super rigorosa. Essere un Erasmus si aggiunge alla -già lunga- lista di impedimenti per ottenere una casa e non parliamo del fatto che sono italiana -nazionalità non proprio riconosciuta come il massimo dell'educazione all'estero, sigh-. Stressata, demoralizzata ed estenuata sono le tre parole che meglio descrivono come mi son sentita a cercar casa qui a Parigi e non sono un caso isolato. 
Ecco qui di seguito qualche consiglio...

Summer Endings

When it comes the end of August I'm always a little bit sad (like everybody else) because it means the summer is gone and time is up for lazy activities. But after realized that fall is coming around with all its colors, gloomy weather (I'm a romantic person) and new clothing styles in the stores I smile again.

I know, I know a lot of people will disagree with that but I love fall and I love to restart all over again every year. It looks stimulating to me.

*****

Quando arriva la fine di agosto sono sempre un po' triste (suppongo un po' come tutti) perché vuol dire che l'estate sta finendo ed il tempo per fare i pigroni è terminato. Ma dopo essermi resa conto che l'autunno sta arrivando con i suoi colori, il suo tempo uggioso (sono una romanticona) e le nuove collezioni d'abbigliamento nelle vetrine sorrido di nuovo. Lo so, lo so molti di voi non saranno d'accordo con me ma io amo l'autunno e mi piace moltissimo l'idea di poter ricominciare tutto di nuovo da zero. 

Lo trovo stimolante.

The Reverse Culture Shock: A Personal Disorientation

Now, you are back home. You can hug your family and your friends. You can sleep in your bed. 

You come back to your old life.

But you feel something inside, it’s strange. You feel disorientated.

What is it?
It is called Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. "Re-entry Shock", or "own culture shock"). It may take place returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture. The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with that the original culture shock.

What kind of emotions you may be going through?

You may have a reverse homesickness-missing people and places from abroad. Boredom, insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, frustration and need for excessive sleep. Your goals or priorities changed. Feelings of alienation and of resistance toward family and friends.

Everything seems okay but deeply inside something is not right.

You may feel stuck: you don’t like the same things anymore, the most part of the people you used to know is probably not interested to understand your 

new personality, you may feel misunderstood.
Last but not least, be careful not to drop your travel tales into too many conversations. Nobody (almost) cares about your travels, so be sensitive and choose carefully who you share your experience with.

How long this disorientation last?

It depends on you.

You don’t have to think <<This will never be a problem to me.>> because it will happen anyway. You have to be wise and get ready to face family and friends before leaving the foreign country.

Moreover, there are many tricks to emerge victor:

1. Staying in touch with fellow study abroad students and sharing your re-entry experiences;
2. Get involved in cultural or international activities in your community or on your home campus;
3. Stay connected to the world through global news networks and newspapers with an international/global focus;
4. Journal your thoughts and emotions;
5. Share your experience through writing contests, photo contests, being an active alumni, etc.;
6. Plan your next abroad experience;
7. Have more than one welcome back party;
8. Be grateful to be home

To be specific Reverse culture Shock is usually a path of 4 stages that you can find here well described.

In my story, every step happened by the book.

Boredom, confusion, frustration, misunderstandings, feeling stuck…

Thankfully I had some good friends who help me out. Listening a million times my American tales, spending much time to know me better also if I was the same girl they used to appreciate, making me feel loved.

But I unavoidably changed a lot so I lost some friends and habits I had before, sometimes intentionally.

For what concerns the advises described before I realized all of them except one (#2) and I guarantee they helped me to face my new life.

IT’S NOT BETTER, IT’S NOT WORST, 

IT’S DIFFERENT.