It has been two months since being in a different country, a different culture, a different life, and I have finally readjusted.
My life has become real life again, but I still have this feeling in the pit in my stomach that something isn't quite right. This is the reason people go abroad, but there is the downfall of coming back. People don't share much about it, but do not worry if you feel this way because I feel it too.
The point of study abroad is to experience something completely different from what we are used to, and in doing that there are people who find that it is the exact place they are supposed to be. It's unintentional but definitely a side effect.
It isn't the honeymoon phase of withdrawal, but I've learned from going abroad has finally sunk into who I am and how I see the world.
Theoretically, this is why young people, students, are pushed to go abroad. The way I see the world is fundamentally different than it was just a short six months ago.
I can't help but think that this is just the thankfulness for the opportunity and the excitement of uprooting my life influencing how I view my home, but then I realize that I am only 21 years old.
This is just the beginning. This is the first time I have had a positive experience with the unfamiliar and the unknown.
So many people have a goal or something they have always wanted. Going back to Europe, Ireland in particular, has been on my mind since the first month I was there and has only gotten stronger in the two months I have left. It has become the thing I've always wanted at 21.
Do not believe there is nothing coming for you if you do not have your head or your heart set on something just yet. Everything changes constantly, and before you know it you will have something.
If you miss abroad, know you are not alone. It isn't every day you get to spend a significant amount of time somewhere other than home. Just because it is normal for maybe your friends or your school, doesn't devalue the experience.
It isn't withdrawal anymore, it is a change, and maybe it mattered to you more than you think.
