Tips from a Second Semester Abroad Student

So many sophomores are finding out that they are going abroad! Congratulations! Being abroad has been incredibly rewarding. Having had some time to reflect, I have a few tips for you that the Study Abroad office doesn’t necessarily talk about.

Reflecting on Abroad!

1. Recognize why you are going abroad. This is probably the most important thing I’ve learned. Something I didn’t realize while going abroad was that everyone goes abroad for different reasons. It seems obvious, but you don’t realize how that will affect your own experience. Each reason is perfectly acceptable, but not everyone’s reason lines up with your own.

Start your year by asking everyone you are with why they went abroad in the first place. You will hear: “I really want to travel.” “I want as many passport stamps as possible.” “I want to figure out who I am.” “I want to embrace the culture I am living in.” “I want to become close to a host family.” And many more reasons. Recognizing why YOU wanted to go abroad will help remind you to get what you want out of your own experience. And don’t let anyone stop you. If one of your best friends wants to hang out with their host family and travel around the country they live in and you want to travel the world, go travel the world! Find another travel buddy. Don’t let anyone hold you back. Live your life.

2. How do you want to travel? When you decided that you wanted to go to Rome for the weekend, did you want to check out all the museums? Did you want to eat spaghetti and cannolis? Did you want to relax and stroll around and go where you were inspired? Did you want to shop? EVERYONE has a different idea of why they are traveling. Make sure their idea lines up with yours, otherwise you can find yourself frustrated. Go with people who want to do the same thing as you, and you will find yourself more relaxed while you are doing it.

3. Budget your money. Did I realize how much I would need to budget myself when I went abroad? Nope! That has been quite the adjustment. Be prepared to spend money because living in the UK and Europe is more expensive than living in the US.

As you budget yourself, also be aware of how much money everyone else around you in spending. Some people you are with will not have as much money as you, and some will have way more than you. Be kind and sensitive, as money can be stressful for people.

Additionally, traveling with someone who has much more/less money than you can make your experience very different than you anticipated. If you were in Rome on a budget but your friend is expecting 5 star hotels and restaurants, you will find yourself in a dilemma. Discuss budgets before and figure out how you want to travel (look above!).

4. See sunshine in the rain. (This can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically). Being in a place where it rains continually, it is so important to stay positive and remember your sense of fun and excitement. You are abroad! Live your life. Do what you need to do. And don’t let anyone hold you back, no matter what the weather.

5. Embrace adventure. When you always go left to go to town, turn right. You never know what you will find! And you will be rewarded. Being adventurous and spontaneous does wonders to the psyche.

6. BE AN INDIVIDUAL, even in culture shock. On the Holy Cross Study Abroad website, they have a link discussing the Four Stages of Your Experience Abroad. Read it because I found it very helpful and I experienced each stage! Everyone experiences culture shock differently. In many Holy Cross study abroad programs, students are with other Holy Cross students. The other Holy Cross students will have many similar experiences as you while you are abroad, so be sure to talk to them. Some of my good friends I have made here are from Holy Cross. It is important to remember that no one adjusts to abroad in the same way. Some people miss home, some people don’t, some people hate the food, some people don’t, etc. If you start to become frustrated, remember to recognize that everyone is in a different place than you. And that’s cool and part of the experience. BUT because of this, do not hold yourself back from experiencing abroad a certain way because other people can be at a different “stage” in their experience. Whether you realize it or not, when you signed up to study abroad, you also signed up to become an individual. You signed up to learn a lot about who you are. Don’t let anyone else affect your learning about yourself!

Alone time at the Old Union Cafe!

7. Learn to love being alone. This is a continuation of number 6, but as an individual who is abroad, you will find times when you are alone. At St. Andrews, I have class for a total of 6 hours a WEEK. This gives me a lot of time to do what I want. Being by myself has been wonderful. Some people don’t like being by themselves. It was an adjustment at first going from Holy Cross where I was constantly busy, constantly seeing people, constantly working, to all of a sudden having nothing to do on Wednesdays and Fridays! LOVE THE ALONE TIME! You finally have the chance to work on yourself, journal, do whatever you like to do. Just last week I went to see a movie by myself-and let me tell you, I had so much fun. Being by yourself allows you to meet other people and talk to them. Its so cool! If I was with friends, would I have learned the name of the woman (Katie) who gave me the popcorn and talked to her for a while? Also recognize that some people who you are abroad with will struggle with the fact that there is more alone time. Be sensitive to them, but also remember that it is ok to be alone. There is a difference between being alone, and being lonely.

8. Talk to strangers. Your parents have told you a million times not to talk to strangers. Mine have told me a billion times. But there is a difference between not talking to a creepy guy late at night on an empty street and not talking to the ladies who work at your favorite cafe that you go to every day! I’ve become a regular at the Old Union Cafe in town, and I know all of the women who work there. If they see me walk in, they start making the sandwich even before they order because they know what I’m going to get. Getting to know them has been wonderful, and has made me realize that you can make friends just about anywhere! I’ve talked to people on trains, students in town, other people waiting in line, cashiers, etc. Talking to strangers and hearing their stories is incredibly eye opening. Everyone’s story is very powerful and can help you live your own life in a certain way. Most people want to talk, and listening to someone’s story will make that person happy, and you happy.

9. Be bold. You are ABROAD and you are most likely somewhere between 19 and 21. You are an adult, so own it. Don’t be shy, don’t be nervous, and don’t care about what other people think of you! This is your experience so just do you 😉 There is no reason for you to not do things because of what other people think! Love yourself and your boldness.

10. Thank your parents. In one way or another, they are the reason you are going abroad. So thank them every day. They love hearing from you, too. (If you have an iPhone or a computer with a camera, FaceTime/Skype them! They want to see your face, plus its free and you don’t have to spend money to talk to them!).

My Postcard Collection!

11. Send postcards to your friends, and yourself.  Who doesn’t love a personalized postcard saying how you are and where you’ve been? Its wonderful to get something in the mail, and its usually a surprise. Surprise your family and friends, it will make their day! Also, send yourself postcards. That might seem weird, but trust me, its such a cool souvenir. If you travel, write yourself a postcard and send it to yourself. Write about memories or an experience or feeling you are having at that moment. Then a few weeks later you will get it in the mail! Having a collection of your favorite designed postcards and how you were feeling in certain moments while traveling is an awesome way to look back. Plus it will make for a pretty cool decoration for your apartment your senior year 😉

12. If you are on the year abroad, own that full year. I was incredibly nervous to do a full year abroad, but it really is true what they say. The first semester is an adjustment and the second semester is fun! When you come back for your second semester, you will find yourself established and happy because you finally have time to enjoy being abroad instead of adjusting to the culture shock. Don’t be nervous, I promise you will get to a point in your second semester where you will be so thankful that you stayed to embrace the experience.

This blog ended up being much longer than I anticipated, but I mean every word of it. If anyone has any questions about being abroad, feel free to e-mail me!

Have a lovely day,

Jackie

This entry was posted on Monday, February 17th, 2014 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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