After literally years of planning... my semester abroad is coming to a close. While I am so grateful for my time here, there are a few things that I wish I could go back and tell my "pre-departure" self. Here are just ten of those things:
1) God's Plan is Bigger Than Yours
... or I guess you could say "fate" if you don't believe in God. Regardless, this is one of the first things that I had to learn. This spring, I took a big leap of faith and applied to study abroad for a full year, got accepted, and then committed... only to find out later that attending the full academic year would be extremely detrimental to my progress towards my degree. In fact, studying abroad for a full year would be an absolute waste of money. This was honestly absolutely heartbreaking for me. However, as much as a large part of me wants to stay in England forever, it is now starting to make sense to me why my full year abroad did not work out. Everything happens for a reason, and everything works out the way that its meant to.
2) The Food is Gonna Take Some Getting Used To
Pro... beans and toast is considered a food group.
Con... salad dressing is virtually non-existent
3) ...But You Will Discover New Foods That You Love!
England's dessert game is strong with their waffles!
4) No Matter How Much You Love Your Host Country, There Will Be Cultural Differences That You Don't Like
No, ASDA is NOT the same as Walmart... AT ALL!
5) Not Getting to Celebrate Holidays at Home is Gonna Be Harder Than You Think
No Haunted Houses or Halloween Parties with friends. No Thanksgiving with all that yummy food...
6) Long Distance Relationships Are Even Harder Than Everyone Says
While social media helps couples to communicate more frequently then in the past, it also makes things incredibly hard... seeing other couples enjoying themselves without a care in the world. THEY. DON'T. KNOW. THE. STRUGGLE!
7) ...BUT They Are 1000% Worth It
If your relationship can grow and thrive from thousands of miles away, its built to last. Our world is so built upon instant gratification. Learning how to be patient and wait for what you truly want takes a boat load of effort, but its by far one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done.
8) The Educational System Will Be Different: Just Accept It
This sounds incredibly obvious, but its true. In the US, I have lots of homework and tests and quizzes to study for, while attending class twice a week for each subject. In England, I only attend class for each subject once a week and have no graded assignments. However, my entire grade for each class rests upon a single essay, which is crazy stressful.
9) Try New Things and Make New Friends
This is one thing that I wish I pursued more while abroad. While I have pushed my comfort zone (especially by joining CrossFit) and have made a couple of great friends, I wish that I would have made this more of a priority early on.
10) Your Host Country Will Always Have a Piece of Your Heart
While part of me can't wait to be home for the holidays, I struggle to think I may never live here again. England, part of my heart will always lie with you.
