I sincerely hope for your sake that you get to study abroad at some point during college. You could spend a week, a few months, or a whole year, and I guarantee you it will be life changing. I've been lucky enough to have spent the past semester in London, and as I make my way back home to the States, I've learned a few things about studying abroad that I wish someone had told me about before I'd left in September.
1. It's okay not to get homesick
I spent the first month of my time in London in a state of complete bliss - I was meeting all these new people, traveling to new places, and seeing and experiencing incredible things. By mid-October, however, some of my American friends were starting to get homesick, and were missing their parents and friends. At first I felt terrible, because truthfully, I didn't miss home in the slightest. I kept thinking there was something wrong with me, that I must be a bad daughter/friend for not wanting to be back in America. Then I realized that I was honestly lucky not to be homesick, because this meant that I was having the most amazing time, and that there was not a place in the world where I'd rather be than London. It's okay to get homesick, but it's just as equally okay not to be. Don't let anyone or anything guilt you into thinking you need to miss your home, friends, and parents any more than you do on your own. You do you and live it up, because your time abroad is going to be over before you know it.
2. It's okay to befriend the locals
Truth be told, I was a little intimidated by my English flatmates at first. They were younger than me, and reminded me a bit too much of my wilder freshman self. I felt a bit like the twenty-something year old trying to kick it with the youths. I struck up friendships with some other Americans, but with time, I couldn't deny it - the Brits freaking rocked. Yeah, they were younger, but they were also the most outgoing, carefree people. They had an infectious passion for life, for doing crazy and dangerous things at any time of day, and they quickly became some of my best friends. I love my American friends from study abroad, but my English friends will hold a special place in my heart forever.
3. Say yes to everything
The last thing you want is to have regrets about your trip. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that very few people in the world actually get to experience, and it should be a written rule that you must live it to its fullest. Like I said, my friends were the craziest and most amazing people I'd ever met, and being with them was always an adventure. Unless it is something that severely puts you out of your comfort zone, or that you know might not be the best story to tell Mom at Christmas (here's looking at you, kitchen table), do it. Go out on a Wednesday night, the night before a final. Stay up until the sunrise (or at least attempt to). Kiss all the people you want. Stop being afraid to just let loose. Americans have this stupid fascination with saving face and looking cool at all times. I'm gonna let you know right now - you're gonna be considered a stiff, miserable loser if you follow those rules. No one cares as much as you think they do.
4. Take pictures of the ordinary stuff
Yeah, yeah, take the pictures of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. But you can Google Image search any city's major landmarks, and chances are, it'll be an even better photo than the one you took. Make sure you take pictures of the little things that you take for granted - your flat, your favorite restaurant, your walk to class. In a year, when you're trying to remember just how the sky looked outside your window, it'll help to have a photo to try and give it justice.
5. Being heartbroken when you get home means you did it right
If you sob saying goodbye to your abroad friends, if you can't listen to some songs without instantly thinking of the times you danced to them at 4 in the morning, then you had a successful study abroad. Don't ever be ashamed to miss your time there. Bonus tip is to have a friend who also studied abroad (doesn't even have to be to the same place), that way you both can cry and reminisce about your favorite memories. Don't let the nostalgia detract from your time back home, but don't let it fade, because it's important to maintain those friendships and values you made.
