Describing your study abroad experience to the ten million people that ask you about it can be quite difficult. You just spent three months of your life falling in love with strange places and learning how to say "where's the bathroom" in ten different languages. It's exhausting just thinking of what to say, when all you know is that you are now a completely different person because of your experience abroad. So, in order to try to articulate the stages of my study abroad experience, naturally I turned to my girl Taylor Swift. T-Swift has gotten me through a lot in life, and my study abroad experience was no different. She always knew what to say when I was a hot mess of emotion. So... if you are also struggling with figuring out your post-abroad emotions, here is a depiction of the stages of life abroad as told by T-Swift.
Stage One. Leaving Home. "Stumbled through the long goodbye, one last kiss then catch your flight."- Come back, be here.
Saying goodbye to your family before departing for your destination abroad is a bit of a blur. Once again... hot mess of emotion. You're filled with excitement about your upcoming adventures, yet at the same time you're terrified of not being able to survive on your own. You've spent the last few years in college thinking that you knew how to live independently, but here comes the real test. Living in a foreign place with foreign people, and let's be honest... pretty foreign everything. Saying goodbye and getting on that first flight is tough, but definitely one of the best decisions you could ever make.
Stage Two. Jet Lag. "You said it in a simple way, 4:00 a.m. the second day."
Yes, you are awake at 4:00 a.m. on your second day abroad because jet lag is real my friends. Very real. You're exhausted and still a hot mess of emotion. A very tired hot mess of emotion. But by this point your excitement has turned to worry. You miss home. You're wondering why you ever decided to leave the comfort of your small town and all the friendly familiar faces that come with it. But don't worry, it gets better. I promise.
Stage Three. Infatuation. "The delicate beginning rush, the feeling you can know so much, without knowing anything at all."
You're absolutely in love with your new home. The first time I stood in the Plaza de Espana, in the exact spot where "Star Wars" was filmed (I must now admit that I have never actually seen a minute of a "Star Wars" film, but still pretty cool), I realized that I would be changed forever. The first couple days in your city abroad are a rush of emotion. Your hot mess has now turned into a beautiful frenzy of emotion. You are in love. You are now thinking that even though you've only been there for a week, it's your new home and you never want to leave. Soak this stage in. It's one of the best.
Stage Four. Missing home. "I guess you're in New York today, I don't wanna miss you this way."
Stage four is hard. Your hot mess is back. With a vengeance. You're missing your family. Your friends. Even your sassy black and white kitten that you've never liked. Any familiar face will do at this point. Even though you knew this stage would come, it's hard to take because you are surrounded with beauty and wonder and there is nothing you love more that you're local cafe con leche, yet you still yearn for your favorite things at home. This stage also makes you feel like you're moving backwards in the adaptation process, but don't worry. This stage is necessary, and usually short-lived. Keep pushing through. It's mostly up from here!
Stage Five. Te Amo Espana. "This is falling in love in the cruelest way."
You have convinced yourself that you will never be happy again once you leave. Your new home really feels like home. You have friends that feel like family. Memories that will last forever. New favorite foods. A new language. You're a whole new person at this point, and you are loving it! It's in stage five that you realize just how lucky you are to be in your current situation. Your days are filled with cafe con leche and awkward conversations with local waiters and hours exploring and getting lost on winding streets. You wouldn't trade any of it for the world. You thrive in stage five. Stage five is what you live for. Stage five is what you miss the most. Love live stage five.
Stage Six. Time to come home. "And this is when the feeling sinks in, I don't wanna miss you like this."
It's time to go home. Even though you miss your family and a little piece of you is ready to go home, the idea of leaving the last three months behind is one of the most painful thoughts. It really starts to sink in that everything you've achieved and experienced throughout the last few months is about to be in the past. Stage six is another tough one. I hate to say it, but the hot mess is creeping back in. The 12+ hours of travel home doesn't really help either, as you experience the jet lag again, but without the excitement of a new place to explore. You miss your abroad family as much if not more than you missed your family when you first arrived abroad. However, even though I have painted stage six as a pretty bleak one, eventually you go back to feeling normal. You catch up on the latest gossip with your hometown friends like nothing had changed and you go back to your very American diet of grilled cheese and goldfish and life goes on. And eventually you arrive at stage seven.
Stage Seven. Home sweet home. "Welcome to New York, It's been waiting for ya."
You're home and you're loving life again. You will always have your abroad friends and memories and you cherish them deeply. But you also recognize all of the new potential that has been unlocked and you're excited to make an impact on your local world. Welcome home, it's been waiting for you.
