AT LAST, HOME: THE FINAL STAGE OF CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT

For any immigrant, the goal is to make the new country your home. Not merely your residence, but the place where you feel comfortable living, working, and interacting with others. But sometimes—particularly when facing cultural shock—that goal seems to be far away, and it is almost encouraging you to go back to your native country.

So… When do you get to feel at home?

There is no universal answer to that. Expats, particularly African ones, often face multiple obstacles when arriving in the United States. Discrimination and numerous forms of structural and institutional racism are prevalent. Some never overcome the overwhelming sense of “othering” that may come with that. As such, for many immigrants, the final stage of cultural adjustment, Home, may never arrive.

However, perseverance is essential to overcome these limitations. Even amidst adversity, developing individual skills and pursuing interpersonal relationships can create a bubble that allows you to form bonds and connect to the new environment you have settled in. Home is, therefore, the result of a journey—it comes after the childlike fascination with your new environment and after the cultural shock granted by the hardships of starting anew. It is the byproduct of hard work and persistency, so the main advice to feel at home is to build it by understanding your current culture to the core and adapt yourself to it, without sacrificing the elements you acquired from your homeland.