Integrating Your Experience

After your Puentes program, you’ll need to very purposefully consider how to take in and fully understand your immersion experience, within the context of your post-program life with academic studies, work, family obligations, and more. The Puentes team and the alumni network are here to support you by giving you tips on how to leverage the contacts you have made and take advantage of the skills that you acquired during the program.  

Reverse Culture Shock

After your immersive program experience, you may notice that you feel a little bit different about living in your home country.  Your eyes have been opened to a new culture and a new way of thinking that cannot be easily erased from your psyche.  If you travelled abroad for your program, after the initial euphoria of seeing your loved ones and eating your favorite foods upon returning home, you might feel a slight sense of dissonance or discomfort. Conversely, you aren’t the same person that you were when you started the program, and this can leave some of your friends and family confused about how to relate to the new you.  This is totally normal and is known as reverse culture shock. 

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Tips to manage reverse culture shock

  • Understand and accept that you’re a different person after your experience abroad. You’ve grown during your time away, and that’s a good thing.

  • Connect with fellow Puentes alumni. Stay in touch with the friends you made during your Puentes program, and seek out others who have had the same experience so that you can share experiences and perspectives.

  • Keep your memories alive. Share photos and continue to blog about the trip. Keep up with what’s going on in Argentina and Uruguay.

  • Give back and encourage others to try the Puentes adventure. Be an ambassador for Puentes on your campus and in your community, by sharing your experience with others.

  • Explore your home country. Now that you’ve awoken your inner wanderlust, hit the road for some homegrown adventures.

Learn more about reverse culture shock here and about coping mechanisms here.



How to Maintain Language Skills

One of the most important facets of your Puentes experience may have very well been the linguistic aspect.  After an intensive time period using Spanish on a regular basis, you surely have a whole new appreciation for the depth and complexity of the Spanish language.  It’s important that you keep your language skills sharp after your Puentes program, so here are some tips to put in practice:

  • Practice with native speakers whenever possible. A native speaker can provide immediate feedback, clearing up any doubts about pronunciation and colloquial usage.

  • Read or watch TV and movies in Spanish. There is no substitute for frequent contact with the language. Reading is crucial for understanding form and grammar, and listening practice is essential for developing your ear. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Write letters to your host family, friends and/or co-workers from Argentina or Uruguay. This is a great way to stay informed on what’s happening in the region and to nurture those relationships that started during your Puentes program.

  • Listen to music and podcasts in Spanish. These are both convenient options to help hone your listening skills, while you commute or perform other tasks.

  • Volunteer giving English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. You can give back to the community while getting some Spanish practice at the same time.

  • Continue to study with a native professor. We’re happy to put you in contact with an excellent native Spanish teacher with whom you can have classes via Skype or Zoom. Just reach out to the Puentes team for the contact details. 



Remembering Your Experience

Some great ways to keep your memories fresh are to share your experience with others after your program and keep in touch with those with whom you shared the adventures. A couple of good ways to do this are:

  • Journal. Keeping a journal during and after your program is a good way to reflect on your learning experiences. With the memories of your program and the culture you’ve engaged with fresh in your mind, you will be able to see your ideas changing as the weeks go by after your program. It’s fascinating and enlightening to look back and see how you’ve progressed throughout and after the program experience.

  • Organize your photos. Arranging your photos in an album, virtual or physical, is a meaningful way to take a trip down memory lane. Sometimes a picture can stir up emotions that you might’ve forgotten about.

 
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