Ten Things No One Tells You About Studying Abroad
These are, in no particular order, the ten things I wish I knew before going abroad.
One: You will make mistakes
Here in Copenhagen, the Danish word for Orange juice is deceivingly called “applesin,” yogurt comes in milk cartons, deli meat is usually chicken, public bathrooms cost money, taxis are rare, no one wears backpacks and even fewer people wear helmets when biking. These are just a few of the quirks that pave the sometimes frustrating path of being away from your familiar home. Some of these are avoidable with the help of the Google Translate app while some of them can only be learned through experience. Even with a local address, you will feel like a tourist for much longer than you anticipate.
Two: Making new friends is hard
Going abroad feels a lot like going through freshman year of college all over again. The fact that no one knows anything about you is simultaneously liberating and daunting. Picking the right people to spend your time with abroad is similarly liberating and daunting. My advice is to follow your gut when you meet someone you connect with, ask them lots of questions, and don’t be afraid to follow up. Texting someone and asking them to coffee is a great way to get one on one time out of your class or living situation. While sending those texts may seem scary, the reality is that most people who agreed to go abroad will be receptive to making new connections.
Three: It's one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself
Studying abroad allows you to reset and start over in many ways. Whether that be reinventing your style or reevaluating your priorities; abroad encourages you to be your most authentic self. Since no one has any preconceived notions of you, you are able to make decisions without complying to external expectations or ideas. In this new place there is nothing to live up to. Set your own standards and your own expectations of who you want to be based on what feels best to you.
Four: Everyone you meet will be on different pages
Some people have never made their own meals or even had their own kitchen before. Some still don’t know how to do laundry. Some are in a foreign country for the first time in their life. All of these differences are expected and all of them are okay. Just because other students haven’t had the opportunities to experience the same things you have at school or at home, doesn’t make their positions better or worse. Now that you are all living, eating, shopping, and studying in the same place, everyone will adapt in their own way. It can be easy to make judgements about maturity and individuality based on these different pages, but it’s important to remember that you are also on your own page, and that's okay too.
Five: The difficulty of “keeping up” with others
You will meet students who have unlimited means and funds supplying their abroad experience. For those of you, like me, who have budgets, it can be difficult to be social while maintaining that budget. Going out for coffee, dinners, weekend trips, shopping, dancing, etc. are all great ways to bond with others, but are also unfortunately very expensive. If you find yourself feeling left out by those who are able to do things you can’t, you can always suggest more budget friendly activities. Cooking at home together, picnicking, going on museum trips with your students passes, thrifting, and hosting your own get togethers can be great ways to socialize without destroying your savings account.
Six: It is not the same as boarding school
Boarding schools, semesters away, Summer trips, and even independent travel are all drastically different from the experience of studying alone in a foreign country as an adult.
Seven: Pack light
Bring few clothes and bring your favorites because you’ll be wearing them everyday for the next four months.
Eight: Travel is more complicated than you think
From all the way over here, Europe seems like a microcosm; a tiny world of its own in which plane rides are dirt cheap and every weekend is an opportunity to explore a new city. The reality is that Europe is still large and travel is still costly. Not to mention that booking trips with people you’ve just met can be nerve-wracking and the charges can add up quickly. I suggest aiming to take a few meaningful and well thought out trips rather than traveling every weekend just for the sake of going to as many places as possible. With time you will find people who are interested in going to the same places as you and doing similar things while there. It is important to know if the people you are traveling with have the same priorities as you, otherwise you may end up wandering through museums and searching for historical monuments alone.
Nine: Learning how to get to school might be more important than what you learn in school that day
Getting lost is one of the best ways of learning to navigate a new city. You might have to take a train or a bus or a bike to class, and you’ll probably get lost on your way. Doing this alone and sometimes without cellular data is uncomfortable and scary, but pushing through is what makes you a real citizen of your new city. Ask for help, step outside of your comfort zone, and get lost — these are all crucial to gaining your footing in a new place.
Ten: You will quickly learn what actually makes you happy
You will be forced to say yes or no to last minute plans, accept or reject offers, and decide how you want to spend your free time in this new and exciting place. Each of these decisions will shed light on your wants and needs without the influence of your friends, family, classes, or obligations back home. What will you do every afternoon instead of sports practice? How should you spend Sunday nights without your best friends? Where will you go when you can go anywhere you want? When you do learn what really makes you happy, don’t let it go.
