Letters from home can be especially helpful in easing the depression and homesickness characteristic of this stage of culture shock. Surface Adjustment . A fresh sense of curiosity and eagerness to try new experiences are common. Mental Isolation . At some point, however, the novelty wears off completely and the difficulties remain.
Frustration increases, and a new and more pervasive sense of isolation can set in.
There may be unresolved conflicts with friends, hosts, or peers. Deeper differences between oneself and others become understandable, and ways are found for dealing with these differences. Eventually the visitor becomes more integrated into the surroundings and comes to accept his or her own situation and place within the new surroundings. Return Anxiety . Once a person is well settled in, the thought of leaving familiar friends, faces, and the new community raises anxieties similar to those the visitor felt during Stage 1, before the departure.