Studying abroad can teach you so many things about yourself and your life that you never would have realized without breaking out of your comfort zone. Not only are the memories are completely life changing but being abroad means that you become a different person too. So whether you just got home, are currently abroad, or are about to leave, here are 20 things that happen when you study abroad.
"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village she must seek them abroad." — Jane Austen in "Northanger Abbey"
You find out that Netflix is different.
Chances are that on one of your first few days, you felt a bit homesick and opened up Netflix to find that your queue is completely different. And not just that it’s suddenly in a different language; it’s that some of your favorite shows are gone but on the plus side, brand new shows and movies that you can become addicted to show up!
You realize how much you took American conveniences for granted.
The constant wifi connections, the ability to drive to the store (even if it’s only a mile away), food with ingredients that you can read and stores open 24/7.
You realize that you actually live up to some of the stereotypes.
Americans actually are pretty loud, always on their phones, and always in large groups generally getting drunk. You might not live up to all of them, but you definitely relate to a few more than you thought.
People only speak to you in English.
No matter how much you try to speak their language, the locals see right through it and just treat you like a tourist. It’s not like they’re trying to be mean, they just get frustrated and confused when you tell the waiter that he’s your boyfriend, not your ‘homeboy’.
You claim to want to blend in with the locals but still do everything tourists do.
And you probably pull out your selfie-stick when you do.
You have to find new ways to be a broke college student.
Because it’s almost a guarantee that you blew through your budget far too quickly, you have to find new ways to stretch a euro, whether it’s finding the three euro pizza joint or by becoming friends with the DJ so you get into clubs for free.
The longer you’re there, the longer your “I need to do this” list becomes.
You hear about awesome restaurants, bars, and interesting tourist attractions that instantly make their way onto your “I Have To Do This Before I Leave” bucket list.
You realize you might actually have to study.
You might make it through a few months without studying at all but then you have papers and exams sneak up on you and you start to wonder what you’ve been doing with all your time.
You realize it’s hard to do everything you wanted.
That giant bucket list you created before coming simply won’t happen. There aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the week.
You can’t wait to get home to your second home.
After booking weekend trip after weekend trip, you look forward to the days you can spend in your dorm room and new city.
Your grades and motivation drop.
It’s hard to want to do good in school when your grades transfer as a pass or fail. Besides, school is hardly anything more than a passing thought.
You realize how crazy different the world is from home.
Afternoon naps are not only a thing but they are essentially expected.
You feel less in touch with your homeland.
You might keep in touch with some friends but you rely on social media for news and updates but it’s not quite the same.
You start to wonder if it was all worth it.
Not only is studying abroad expensive but it’s also emotionally taxing.
The amazing things all over become second nature and you start to feel like a local.
On your right, you can see the Roman Coliseum #nbd. Plus, it’s always nice to have a local ask you where something is when you actually have the answer.
Your taste in food drastically change.
Suddenly (or not so suddenly) you like the healthier and fresher food that has less salt and sugar. It’s better for you in the long run but as soon as you taste some American food, you balk at your old taste buds.
You miss your friends and family. And probably pets.
Skype and intermittent phone calls or texts just aren’t the same as seeing your friends at group meetings or before class. You can talk before you go to bed or as soon as they get up, otherwise your conversation can last for days.
But the people you meet are your new family.
You look forward to seeing them in class and eating dinner with them and you have no fear of falling asleep on the train because they probably won’t take pictures of you drooling at six am when you’ve been up all night. It's also clear that no one will get your experiences quite like them.
You start to sound like Ted from “How I Met Your Mother” when you talk to your parents.
You censor some of your stories to include sandwiches that definitely weren’t sandwiches.
You realize that you can do more than you thought.
No matter how difficult it was running for a 4 a.m. train or struggling to decide what to eat because you can’t actually read the menu, you somehow feel more mature and different- almost like an actual adult.
