So you’ve done your research, you’ve read all the Buzzfeed articles, you’ve talked to others who have done it, but until you officially step onto European soil, you most likely don’t truly know the realities of studying abroad in Europe. Here are some truths behind this amazing experience:
1. Paying for water. Ahhhh, the days of receiving that free water cup at McDonald’s or endless amounts of water glasses at the lunch table have officially ended my friend. What you think of as being your basic human right to free water doesn’t exist in Europe. Get used to paying more for water than wine (no complaints with that, though)!
2. Siesta (aka, designated nap time) For all of the times that you refused your naps as a child, those rollback hours have now arrived. Siesta, or “nap”, can either be the best or worst 4 hours of your day. If you’re trying to do any shopping between the hours of about 1pm – 4pm, forget about it. Businesses are shut down because the workers are all at home siesta’ing. But if you’re trying to catch some zzz’s, here’s your opportunity! No judgment’s when it comes to napping during the middle of the day here.
3. Sundays aren’t for shopping. Did you want to go shopping on a SUNDAY? You weirdo. Go home and relax! Sunday’s are viewed as a religious day of rest in most parts of Europe; so if you’re traveling, especially to smaller towns, count on very few, (if any), shops and restaurants being open.
4. Coordinating your laundry days with the weather. If you thought you hated doing your laundry before moving to Europe, you thought wrong. Clotheslines are now your form of a dryer, also meaning that if it’s raining, you’re going to need to find somewhere else to dry your clothes. Check the weather before you do a huge load of laundry, or you will end up with soggy clothes.
5. Tiny cups. Say goodbye to your Venti cups from Starbucks, or even normal sized coffee cups for that matter. You’re going to seriously learn how to savor your “café con leche”, because Europe’s standards of coffee cups are not up to par with America’s. But hey, it will also be the best “cup” of coffee of your life, so some things really do come in smaller packages. Also, if you find coffee to go, say a big thank you to the coffee gods. #Rarefinds
6. No In-N-Out or Chipotle. Need I say more?
7. Airlines love to go on strike, (especially you France, wtf)? Ever heard of an air traffic strike? If not, you’re about to learn allllll about it. Airlines, especially ones flying into/out of France, love to go on strike. For reasons I still haven’t really figured out, other than the typical “we had to reduce our number of flights due to reasons a, b & c”. Airlines have the right to cancel their flights whenever an airstrike is declared. How does this affect you? You better hope that the airline you’re flying with is considerate enough to help you with other travel arrangements. If not, get to planning on how you’re going to get to your destination.
8. Terrible airlines in return for cheap travel. Another airline fun fact: if you’re a college student on a budget, which we all are, cheap airlines will be your lifeline. If you’re paying 25 euros for a flight, you can’t really be expecting luxury right? These cheap tickets basically secure you a seat in exchange for extremely strict luggage restrictions, flight attendants trying to sell you anything they can think of, and definitely the most uncomfortable seats you’ve ever sat in on a plane before.
Make sure you always have your tickets printed ahead of time too, because guess what? That’s also an extra charge. You’ll learn to suck it up, though, because you’ll forget all about the cruel transportation torture you just suffered through once you’re eating a pizza next to the Canals in Venice. Some things are worth suffering for.
9. Google translate becomes your best friend. No matter how well you think you know the language you’ve been learning, Google translate is still going to be your handy dandy savior.
10. Wait, I actually have to learn how to read a map? Yup. You heard it correctly. Time to learn how to read a real map, not Siri’s voice guiding the way for you. Whether or not you have phone service, which is a serious luxury studying abroad, a paper map will be the easiest way for you to figure out how to get around a new town. #Throwbackthursday
11. Bathrooms aren’t always free… Get used to carrying coins around with you, because chances are you will run into having to pay for bathroom use more than once. Train stations in particular love to make a good euro or two off of your bladder.
12. Not tipping the wait staff. That’s right, no tipping. In Europe the tip is generally included in the price already, so no more feeling guilty about not quite hitting the 15% range. Tipping is considered out of the norm, so don’t feel bad or weird about it!
13. Slow restaurant service. Another thing about restaurants; Europe doesn’t have the same sense of urgency like America does when it comes to service, especially when it comes to food service. Europeans view dining as a social gathering, meaning if you’re in a rush, sitting down for a meal is the last thing you should do. Get used to raising your hand or searching out your waiter when you need something. And the check comes when you ask for it, not when your meal is finished.
14. Hostels. America loves to give hostels a bad image…. We’ve all heard of the movie “Hostel” haven’t we? If you have something against hostels and you’re planning on studying abroad, you better get that image out of your head because this is your cheapest and easiest form of sleep while traveling. Whether your experience with hostels is good or bad, hostel stories make for some of the best traveling stories. And everybody loves a good story.
15. Sh*t, I’m still in school? Don’t forget that although studying abroad seems like months of endless traveling and shenanigans, you are still there for school. Who would’ve thunk? On the plus side, you will definitely learn how to organize your time better and micromanage booking a million different things while still trying to write that paper for your philosophy class.
16. Prepare for travel plans to occasionally fail you. “Woohoo, all of my transportation is booked, hostels are all set and ready to go, admission tickets are paid for, what could possibly go wrong!?” LOL. No matter how good at planning you think you are, something is bound to go wrong sooner or later, either due to your own fault or transportation delays, etc. ALWAYS triple check your ticket and travel times, print out all of your tickets ahead of time and make sure you have military time down.
17. Constantly apologizing to peanut butter for taking it for granted. The one thing us Americans take for granted: peanut butter. Although you will learn to survive without it, it will be the most painful loss you will endure while abroad. And if you’re lucky enough to find it somewhere, be prepared to pay three times the price for it and savor that sh*t like it’s gold.
18. You can live without your cell phone. A basic life skill that I think everybody should have: learning to live without technology. Although this sounds scarier than our current 2016 presidential elections, it IS possible and I promise you that it is the most freeing thing in the world.
Being able to eat a meal with friends or walk through plazas without everybody looking down at their phones is such an amazing sight to see. You’ll learn to appreciate your surroundings and take in new experiences 10x better than you ever could with a phone in your hand 24/7.
19. Referring to America as “The States". Even if you think these words will never come out of your mouth, I can promise you they will. The quickest way to spot out somebody who has studied abroad is to listen for the accidental slip up of “back in the states....”
20. Being offered selfie sticks everywhere you go. As tourists, we have given ourselves a terrible image of being extreme selfie-takers and because of this we have invented a new business market for European market sellers. Get used to whatever amazing, monumental sight you’re at to be flooded with people trying to sell you a selfie stick.
21. It WILL change your life. “Studying abroad will change your life, you’re going to come back a completely different person!” I wasn’t convinced of this the million times I was told it before heading off for my study abroad semester, but it’s 100% true. Studying abroad completely changes your outlook on the world and the way you view yourself.
Being cultured and well traveled is one of the greatest gifts you can ever give yourself, and when you come home from a semester abroad you will feel like a completely different person!
