As someone who had never traveled outside of the country before studying abroad, there are a plenty of things I look back on and wish I would have had some level of insight about before taking off for my adventure. Lucky for you, I’m glad to share my travel wisdom (LOL) today. Here are a few things you should know before you go:
1. Honeymoon phase happens, and you should enjoy it!
If you’re spending an entire semester abroad, you will have a plenty of opportunities to live like the locals. Let’s get real, though: we all like to be tourists sometimes too! Don’t go to your study abroad destination and not go see all of the hot spots. Grab that fanny pack, put on the awkward “I Love (Insert City)” shirt, and take thousands of photos! The initial OMG-ness will eventually fade, which leads me to the next point…
2. Culture shock is real.
Week one was honeymooning, yet week two was filled with the thought, “Why in the heck did I even do this? I want mom. NOW.” It’s OK… I hear from fellow study abroad goers this is a normal thought to have and one rooted almost entirely in the process of adapting to a new culture. Everything will be just a little different (some things very different), and the love for newness won’t last forever. Ride it out. The next emotional rollercoaster is approaching with number three on my list!
3. You’re going to fall in absolute love with your city!
After you snap yourself back into the reality you’re an ocean away and either stay here or go home and lose a whole semester of college coursework (and we all know none of us can afford that), things will quickly get better. You find your favorite coffee shop. You meet a few locals. You start forming friendships with your classmates. Before you know it, the idea of “home” will take a whole new form in the city you find yourself.
4. Normalcy will be good (sometimes).
The benefits of #3 on my list abound, but there are a few negative sides too. As you fall in love with your city and make your new routine into a daily lifestyle, that spark in your eye and pep in your step starts to fade. Is this entirely bad? No! You’re adjusting and making your new city feel like home, and your emotions while abroad start to be more realistic and consistent. That’s great! The bad part, though? As for me, I began feeling like I was being super unappreciative for the opportunities placed in front of me. When I started not being as taken back by the sights I encountered, I felt like a brat, even though I later have learned that wasn’t the case at all. More on this to come here in a bit.
5. Your “American-ness” will fade.
Every now and then, that old stereotype that all Americans are selfish and entitled ends up being true. I tried so hard not to be that American when traveling here and there. To be totally honest, I was that American at the beginning, though. You know what I’m talking about… the one who brings two clear bags of liquids instead of just one to the airport because we just have to have all of our things… or the American who talks obnoxiously on the public transport while everyone else is silent. Don’t worry, you’ll eventually learn the tricks and the trades. It may not come quickly, but it will come with time and experience. Ask any of the people I traveled with: I learned how to pack an entire week’s clothing into a small backpack and even went the entire free travel week without a can of hairspray. If you know me, you know both of these feats deserve to be on my resumé.
6. “Study abroad” will become “life abroad” before you know it.
This is my reference back to number four. When you stop being so enthused and overjoyed all the time, you’ve done exactly what you were supposed to do as a student studying abroad for an entire semester: You’ve turned what was once a distant dream into your new reality. You've gone from touring in a city to truly living, working, and studying within it. Do you really think the Londoners “ooh” and “ahh” over Westminster Abbey every single time they pass it? Do the Florentines actually get teary-eyed each time they see the Ponte Vecchio? Nope, because much like that beautiful tree in your front yard turning some amazing shade of orange every single October and Nashville’s Batman building (AT&T… whatever) with those awesome pointy ears, we eventually see it all the time and it becomes natural. You’re not being a snob for finding what once was extravagant to you to now be standard or habitual. You’re being human.
7. As the end of the semester nears, you’ll begin to wonder if you’ll ever be able to leave.
The thing about leaving home for studying abroad is you’ll know you will eventually return in a few months. Leaving your study abroad destination, you likely won’t know the next time you’ll visit, if ever. This is the reason leaving London was actually more difficult for me than leaving home. Right towards the end, you’ll take in all in just a bit more than you had in weeks past, briefly return to the honeymoon phase, and start saying the goodbyes, but truth be told…
8. You think you’ll never be able to leave? You’re right, you won’t.
You can’t just invest your whole life into studying abroad for an entire semester and move on when it’s over. I’ve thought about London multiple times daily since arriving home, and from what I hear, that’s something I will deal with for a long time to come. You will physically leave, but a piece of you will always stay there, and a piece of your study abroad destination will always rest within. As much as you will want to say you don’t miss it, you definitely will.
