Reverse Culture Shock

It's a tricky thing when your perspective shifts. You begin to see things with new vision and often life can seem to flip upside down. We've found that after traveling to Uganda some of our volunteers experience something called "reverse culture shock."

Though this is common, and often expected after traveling abroad, it does not make the experience any less difficult. In the midst of this struggle, the beauty lies in that our volunteers find themselves evaluating priorities and examining values. After living among those in extreme poverty, it would be shocking to not experience some sort of shift in perspective. And many times, it's the best kind of shift. Sometimes we simply need to see those who have nothing to be reminded that we have something to give.

Written by Rebecca Brown, Fount of Mercy's Director of Communications