You hear about it all the time. After a semester away, all your friends can talk about is their “post abroad depression” and all of their amazing stories from foreign countries. Especially if you're like me and your older sister is studying abroad a second time for her masters. Having decided to intern in New York over studying abroad, I was not able to have to experiences like that. I was, however, lucky enough to spend 10 days in Europe over the summer. Here are things I’ve discovered that prove that a short trip can be worse than studying abroad:
You have to deal with the tourist stigma.
Not all places are like this, but tourists can sometimes be the bane of locals’ existence. When you study abroad, you can do the touristy things first, and then you start to think of yourself more like a local. Something that you might think you have to do may seem like a waste of time to someone who has lived there for years. You might get judging looks, but hey, if it makes you happy, go for it!
Photo: Jennifer Orswell
Meeting people you connect with, but knowing you won’t see them again.
The "friend crush." You meet this interesting person who loves similar things as you, or loves to tell you their fascinating stories about their life or country, and get that feeling of dread in your stomach knowing you most likely will never see them again. When you study with this person for a semester, you have time to nurture that friendship and make sure you stay in touch with them.
You don’t have time to experience more than what’s on your itinerary.
Usually when you only have a certain amount of time in a country, it’s planned out for you ahead of time. This leaves little to no room for last minute road trips to nearby countries or exploring the cool ruin in a nearby town that wasn’t planned for your trip. When you live abroad for four months, you can make the time to go back and do the things you didn’t have the time for the first trip.
Falling in love with a city, and having to leave the next day.
In a similar vein, driving through a city, or just passing through, is enough time to really fall in love. The city of Edinburgh, Scotland is one of my favorite cities, and yet I spent less than 20 hours there before I had to leave. More time in a city you love is definitely a plus to spending the semester there.
Photo: Marcelle Foucre
You don’t have time to fully immerse yourself in the culture.
When you study abroad, you experience the people, the food, the nightlife, and the traditions of the city you’re living in over the semester. When you’re just visiting, you might get a fraction of the cultural experience you would have liked to have.
You feel like you’re leaving right when you just got there.
Mostly because of the long flights and time differences, two days of your trip can easily go by in a blur of airplanes and airports, cutting into the time you could be exploring in. By the time you settle in and learn about the country you are in, you feel like you’re already preparing to go home.
Not to downplay the sadness people feel coming back from studying abroad, but they can take solace in the fact that they had plenty of time to make memories. When it comes down to it, any amount of time in a foreign country can induce wanderlust in just about anyone. For those of us who did not have the opportunity to spend the semester abroad, some of us feel like we have catching up to do. But all of us are vigorously planning our next excursion.
