Lizzy Rheaume is a senior majoring in graphic design in the College of Arts and Letters with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. She is a graphic design intern with International Studies and Program, a gallery guide at the Broad Art Museum, and is the head captain of the Women’s Club Dodgeball team.
Spending a full semester studying abroad, immersed in Greek culture, was truly a dream, as Greece quickly became a place that felt like home.
Before I left, we were warned that returning home could bring something called reverse culture shock. I nodded along, but never really believed it. I had lived here my entire life, so how difficult could it really be to come back?
I was quickly proven wrong.
Coming home was harder than I ever imagined. Saying goodbye to the constant traveling, new adventures and everyday experiences that had become my normal was difficult enough, but adjusting back to life at MSU while entering my final year was an entirely different challenge.
I had been so caught up in the life I created in Greece that I didn’t realize how much I had changed along the way. I assumed coming back to MSU would feel easy because it had always been home. Instead, I found myself feeling like a stranger in a place I had once known so well and loved so deeply.
Being back at MSU after having so many new experiences and discovering different perspectives has been strange, probably because I now know what life feels like outside of Michigan State and outside of Michigan. At the same time, seeing my MSU friends again has been comforting and a reminder of why this place meant so much to me in the first place.
Change is hard and scary. And I am slowly realizing that the life I experienced in Greece was real. It wasn’t just a dream or a chapter that disappears the moment I return home. It was a huge part of my life that has shaped who I am and how I see the world.
I am also realizing that I am bringing so much more into this upcoming year than I had before. As it turns out, getting lost in Hungary and figuring everything out through Google Translate can provide some important life lessons. If I could navigate in a completely unfamiliar country without speaking the language, then I can navigate my way through this final year and, eventually, whatever comes next.
Prior to my semester away, I hesitated when it came to unknowns and was scared to take any leap. I have learned that the outcome will almost never be exactly what you expect, but taking the leap often leads to experiences and opportunities you never could have planned for, like meeting my best friends abroad.
With the time that remains, I am trying everything I can — playing IM Sports, and getting involved as much as possible in this final year at MSU.
This transition hasn’t been easy. American and Greek cultures are so different, and adjusting from one to the other has made me appreciate just how much I took for granted before leaving. But more than anything, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience another culture firsthand and to fully immerse myself in a life so different from my own.
I’ve learned that coming home doesn’t mean leaving Greece behind. Staying connected with my English roommates, carrying those experiences with me, and continuing to embrace everything I learned are ways I can keep that part of my life alive. I may be back in Michigan, but the memories, friendships and lessons from my semester abroad will always be a part of me.
I’ll find my way back to Greece someday and when I do, I’ll be heading straight to a taverna for some souvlaki.