Study abroad. There’s nothing like it. It’s amazing that students have the opportunity to go to another country, experience the culture, make new friends, all while receiving class credit! While it was hands down one of the best experiences of my life, adjusting to a new culture was accompanied by a longing of my own. However, the memories I made and the things I learned made the lack of the following completely worth it.
1. Chick-Fil-A
While I loved the foreign cuisine and trying new and slightly terrifying looking dishes, nothing can replace my love of CFA. Just thinking about a number 1 with Polynesian sauce made my mouth water. I’m subscribed to my local establishment’s texts, and every time I received one while in Europe my heart cried. I’m surprised I didn’t dream about the waffle fries.
2. Air conditioning
While abroad I learned to never take air conditioning for granted. Any building I walked into I was greeted with a wall of stagnant, warm air. It was most noticeable when I tried to get some shuteye, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was chilling in a sauna.
3. Sleeping in
I’m a girl who loves her sleep, but I knew that I couldn’t waste away my days abroad sleeping. However, I couldn’t even if I wanted to due to the fact that I had class everyday at 9. There were maybe 3 days that I was able to sleep past 8 a.m. and I had never felt so well rested in my life.
4. Netflix
Oh Friends, how I missed you. Not that I even had time to spend binge watching TV shows but it’s an activity that I did miss on occasion. Sometimes during class I would just imagine the number of episodes I could watch instead of learning about Spanish linguistics.
5. Ability to use data
People studying abroad flock to WiFi zones like it’s a source of life. While I did enjoy not having my phone as a constant distraction, sometimes I just really wanted to post something about my travels but the lack of internet connection shut me down everytime. I knew by heart the WiFi passwords to several local establishments. One café with WiFi that I frequented had even memorized my order and I had never felt more like a local.
6. Family and friends
Of course this is a given, while abroad everyone misses those that are closest to them. No matter how many new friendships were made, it was impossible to forget about my people back home! However, I truly believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder.
