1. Currency Change
Doing the math in your head every time you buy something... Plus the exchange rate every time you use your credit card or an ATM machine. Here in Italy they use coins so much, but in the United States we rarely use coins. It is quite the adjustment and I don't think I'm ever going to get used to it.
2. Time Change
Where are all my friends? Oh they're asleep... Waking up in the morning to check your social media and see that everybody is out partying, without you, while you get ready for class. You try to call your bank to unlock your credit card and it is 3 a.m. at home and you are stranded without any money.
3. No Fast Food
Sometimes a girl just wants some Jimmy Johns. You walk around wanting to just grab a quick meal for lunch and you are scowled at when you quickly ask for the check at a sit down restaurant, because it's impolite. The struggle of having to choose between time and food is real.
4. Traveling
The exhaustion will never go away, I swear. It started from the flight over and it is still not gone. You want to jam pack your week days with friends, food and sites but the weekend comes and your travels become even more packed. You swear you can sleep until noon every day but don't want to waste your precious time abroad cooped up in your bed.
5. No Wifi
"Um, what's the wifi password?" Wifi is a precious thing abroad, you stand next to bars during the day just to pick up their wifi to send a message or use Google Maps to find out where you are even going. While at dinner everyone sits quietly on their phone because it is their one hour of sacred wifi time to chat with their friends and boyfriend.
6. No Public Bathrooms
It's a thing that we in the United States take for granted. There is no public bathrooms and if you can somehow find one you have to pay sometimes over $1 just to use in the bathroom, with no toilet paper! It is close to impossible to find a bathroom when you really need it!
7. Your Family Ignores You
Sending that daily update to your family group chat... with no response. Hey Mom you can like my Instagram picture but not text me back? Yes they're probably annoyed with all of my pictures I'm sending to them at night, but I need some love back!!
8. Being Broke
The struggle of wanting absolutely everything out there... and just not having the money for it. Eating cereal for lunch and saving your money for dinner instead of grabbing a sandwich. The first couple weeks you think you're doing great but then your debit card declines saying your account is empty, oops!
9. No Netflix
You get done with class and all you want to do is catch up on your Netflix, little do we know that lots of countries abroad do not have Netflix yet! How do they survive? So you fill up your time with other activities or try your luck at the all Italian TV shows you get at your apartment.
10. Being Lost... Constantly
I swear I will never find my way around this city. "I thought it was this way?" All of the buildings look the same and you swear you were here yesterday, yet everything looks so different then you remember. I always look for the Duomo and find my way from there!
Are you currently studying abroad? How are you coping with the transition? Tell us in the comments!
