Just like that one person that seems to never leave your mind, the longing you're left with after studying abroad can certainly seem all-consuming. Some days are harder than others, especially when you're rolling out of bed for work at 6am and Timehop greets you with nostalgic photos, back when you were frolicking next to Big Ben.
About a year ago, I set off to explore the world. My feet landed on the ground of London, England, but they brought me on so many adventures in the next 5 months, leading my head and my heart to grow and fall in love with all of the most beautiful places.
Readjusting to your old culture after adapting to a new one will probably be hard. And that's okay. Something that may help ease the transition is finding a few friends to talk to who have been through the same thing. Though it may seem like too simplistic of a solution for your longing heart, finding others who are still adapting and have gone through all these changes too is a huge relief. I have a small group of friends who will collectively sigh or let out a sad 'ughhhh' any time Europe is mentioned because we all miss it so dearly. Cynically, misery loves company. However, this same friend group is planning a 'Study Abroad Party' where everyone brings food and drinks from the country that they studied in and we all celebrate the different cultures we were fortunate to get to know.
If none of your friends seem to understand why you can't stop talking about the wine you drank in front of the Eiffel Tower or that time you climbed a mountain in Switzerland, do some research on the clubs your campus offers! There's bound to be a cultural club, a program that allows you to connect with other students who have studied abroad, or even an opportunity to advise other students who are looking to study abroad.
Chances are, if you can't go a day without daydreaming about the time you spent wandering the European streets or beaming at all of the different accents surrounding you, the travel bug you caught isn't going anywhere. That's the toll it takes to be an adventurer: each trip you take only feeds your dreams and you're always left wanting more.
You're constantly grasping for any reason to talk about your adventures: how can you casually slip the time that you dangled your feet off of the Cliffs of Moher into a conversation that started with "how is your day"? After having lived through a time where your biggest concern was planning your next excursion, your independence was stronger than ever, and you created a whole new life for yourself in this new magical place, returning to reality can be daunting.
So when you find yourself not only missing the people you bonded with whilst studying abroad but the breathtaking places and sense of adventure, here are a few temporary solutions: blast 'Sleep On The Floor' by The Lumineers, make a list of the places you want to visit next, roadtrip somewhere beautiful, and keep working hard and saving anything you can for your next big adventure.
