Recently, I moved halfway around the world to study abroad for the semester. I went with a group of people that I barely knew to a country where I did not speak any of the language. To say that I was in way over my head would be an understatement. This lead to a mixture of homesickness and culture shock that generally just made me very sad during my first couple of days away from home.

I didn’t really understand what the term "culture shock" meant until I moved abroad. I believe that using the word “shock” implies that you will suddenly be hit with a culture completely different than your own, and it will immediately have a strong (and most likely negative) impact on you. However, culture shock tends to come more slowly as little differences between your home culture and your new culture build up.

I also thought that because I left my hometown to go to college, I would be immune to homesickness. This also proved to be false. Instead of simply missing my family, I now miss them as well as all the great new friends I have made while in college. I see them participating in fun activities at home, and I wish I was there with them.

When you study abroad, culture shock and homesickness combine, and they make adjusting to your new life very difficult. As you miss your friends and family, you look for familiar things to cling to, but the cultural variation prevents you from finding objects, foods or activities that you are familiar with. This leaves you feeling very alone and isolated; over the first couple of days, you will probably feel like you have just made the worst decision of your life.

These feelings will pass, but these feelings are also natural. It is probably impossible to completely avoid feeling sad at some point during this time, but there are things you can do to make the process a bit easier. In order to help with the culture shock, bring one item from home that makes you feel comforted. For most people, this item is a blanket. Whenever you feel as though you are surrounded by completely foreign things, find your comfort item. Also, try to change your perspective. Instead of seeing the culture change as an obstacle, see it as an opportunity to live a different lifestyle for a while. It becomes much easier when you embrace the differences. In terms of homesickness, some people will advise you to bring pictures from home and to call, text or facetime loved ones frequently; other people will tell you to completely avoid a large amount of interaction with ones who are at home because it will only make you feel worse. I’ve found it most effective to find a balance of the two. Reconnecting with loved ones at home can make you feel less alone, but you also don’t want to spend all of your time away from home wishing you were back there. Set out parameters at the start of how involved you want to be back home and do not exceed that limit.

I believe that many people would love to study abroad but are too afraid to deal with the homesickness and culture shock that comes along with it. While these feelings are not always fun to endure, they help you grow into a more adaptable and independent person, and the benefits and experiences that you get from moving around the world are innumerable. Do not let a few weeks of sadness prevent you from having the time of your life.