If you've ever decided to study abroad, you can relate when I say it's the best experience of your life. And if you haven't gone, go! Just go, please do it! Sure, I miss America every now and then, but then I realize I have to stop my pity party and pack my suitcase for a weekend excursion. I guess things aren't too shabby. So, to help a future study abroad-goer, I've put together seven useful tips that have been most relevant to me and my first month of living here. Hope this helps all you future travelers!
1. Pack light
It’s a battle between your never-ending pile of clothes, your suitcase, and the scale at the airport. Packing your life away for X amount of months can be the most stressful part about starting your study abroad experience. As hard as it is, you must pack light! Are you really gonna wear that old shirt you found hanging around in the back of your closet from 2012? No, you’re not. So put it down. The reality of it is you will be wearing the same outfit more than once, and actually, probably more than 3 times, so get ready to recycle! Luckily, everyone's in the same boat as you, so you can all suffer together.
2. Carry A Mini Dictionary
When you’re out and about becoming the world traveler you’ve always wanted to be, it’s important to know how to at least get by while trying to communicate with others who can only understand hand signals so much. Sadly, English can only get you so far. Having this handy little guy in your back pocket is perfect for asking someone the location of a restaurant, a bathroom, or the metro! I might have used my dictionary the first time to ask someone where the nearest gelato shop was, because priorities. But don’t worry, I found it. Also while you’re on the plane flying to your study abroad destination, take the time to study some simple phrases: “Hello,” “I don't speak *insert language of choice* very well,” “I’m from America,” and “Thank you.” You’ll be golden.
3. Actually do the study part before going out to travel the world
It’s hard to be focused sometimes when you're living in the most beautiful parts of the world, but the first word of "study abroad" is the one most people cringe at: study. Before going anywhere, I recommend sitting down in a quiet area and completing all your work. Trust me, you do not want to be flying back from wherever you just had an amazing excursion on a Sunday night thinking to yourself, “Huh, I have a four-page paper due tomorrow. Maybe I should get started on that.” You’ll thank yourself in advance for getting everything done, or you can just thank me now for helping you become a star pupil. You’re welcome.
4. Time Differences, why you gotta be so rude?
Time differences are the only downfall about study abroad and let me tell you; it sucks. I am just waking up and everyone I wanna talk to is about to get their beauty sleep. So in order to talk to all my friends and family regularly we have to plan. Planning when I’ll call them or, even better, FaceTime them, is what makes being on the other side of the world somewhat easier. Also, getting the WhatsApp app was the best decision. It’s an app just like texting, and works with WiFi. I don't have a phone plan here: My phone is on airplane mode for the next two and-a-half months, so the only way I can talk to anyone is when I'm connected to WiFi. It’s convenient and makes my mom pretty happy, so that’s all that really matters (Hi, Mom).
5. Keep a journal or a blog
I’ve always been that girl that keeps every single sentimental item in a box or every great memory written down in a journal, but I think stumbling upon a post or an object down the line that once meant so much to you is the coolest thing. Don't get me wrong, documenting all your amazing adventures on Instagram is awesome, but there's something oddly satisfying taking the time to write down where you went, what you saw, and what you did to get that poppin' Insta! Of course, when you’re abroad, you'll be doing so many crazy things, having it in one place and easy to access when you’re going from train to train is super convenient. You’ll thank yourself one day looking back at it.
6. Go ahead and book that crazy trip
Study abroad is the perfect time to fill your travel cravings, I mean, why wouldn’t you go to all the places you've ever dreamed of?0 You’re probably only going to have this experience once in your lifetime, so you have to seize the opportunity. In my opinion, the more spontaneous the better! If you ever come across an opportunity to book a trip that seems a little weird or strange, don't overthink it. Go for it. For example, I was booking my ticket to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, and the cheapest way to go there was by bus and then camp outside. The more I thought about it, the more I was starting to think it wasn’t the best idea. But then I said to myself, “When will I ever have the chance to go to this event again?” October 1st came around and there I was, sitting on a bus for 13 hours, heading over to what was the craziest weekend of my life. Yes, the bus ride there and back was long, and yes, it was quite cold at night, but hey, I had a weekend of a lifetime, and have some amazing stories from it. And I’m also alive, so if I can do it, you can, too. Don’t be scared to go for it!
7. Watch what you’re saying because the person you're talking about sitting next to you on the metro might more know English than you think
This is something I never had to think of until it actually happened to me. Many times, you'll be having a conversation in English with your friends and the majority of the people around you will have no idea what you’re saying (kinda cool when you think about it). Sometimes it comes in handy when you want to tell your friend a funny thing that the guy sitting behind her just did, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. Luckily I wasn’t talking about anyone when this happened, but I was the one being talked about. On the train, two men were sitting next to me from Chicago (I heard where they were from) and the ticket lady came up to our section and asked to see their tickets. She realized they didn’t speak Italian and asked the question again in English. She then asked me the same question in Italian, but I had just technically heard the question in English, so I knew what she was saying (sneaky Ali for the win.) I replied, “Si si, grazie.” With this little interaction, the men thought I was Italian (which was a little flattering because I’m actually 100% Italian) and began talking to each other about me, saying, “Hmm, I wonder where she's from. Maybe we should try talking to her in English and see if she replies?” Yes, folks, this really did happen. But the best is yet to come. I saw that my stop was coming up, and I looked to the man next to me and asked, “Can I get out? This is my stop.” His face was in a bit of shock and began to laugh a little. I got up and said, “Thank you so so much,” and began to laugh myself a little bit.I'm glad they were saying very harmless things, but this just shows that you never know who will hear your conversation!
Overall, this experience is proving to be worth every penny and every FOMO moment I’ve had looking at Snapchats and Instagrams of my friends back home. Hi, friends, if you’re reading this. I miss you all immensely! I’m sure I’ll be home before I know it and wanting to live this all over again, but I only have this one amazing time, so I’m making every moment count.
Thank you for reading my very first post on here, and I hope you thought it was snazzy.
I’ll be posting again real soon!
-AlPal
