The Truth about Finishing a Semester Abroad
I’ve successfully finished my semester abroad and have returned to the United States. I cannot believe I can say I have actually traveled around the entire world (and am the first in my family to ever do it)! Quick recap: From my hometown, Charleston, West Virginia, I headed west to Sydney, Australia for my first six-week block. Next, I continued west to Rome and Paris for my last two blocks. After making a quick stop in London to visit my family there, I made my way back across the Atlantic to the place where I started and reunited with my family. In total, I flew 33,194 miles, which is 1.3x around the world!
Side note: I highly recommend the app “Flighty” for tracking all your flights, miles, and travel time! When my grandma asked me if I missed home while I was gone, I responded, “Do you want the honest answer?” My family all laughed and I told them that I never really missed the places at home, just the people, and that is the truth.
I would say my experience of reverse culture shock was not in the way I expected. I thought the contrast in daily practices would be where I would feel it, but it actually came in the form of my mindset because of the change in structure. During studying abroad, every day was different. I had light structure thanks to my class schedule, but with such a short time in each city, I made sure to do something new almost every day. I made myself bucket lists for each place (I can share with anyone curious) and wanted to take advantage of all the time I had to see as much as possible.
For me, I knew I would never have an opportunity like this to explore these amazing cities again, so every day, I wanted to mark a few places off my list. Whether it was trying a new coffee shop, a local dish, or visiting a cool museum, I was constantly planning for the next few days, looking ahead with excitement to all that was in store for me. On top of that, I was constantly meeting so many new people and making new friends who were all just as keen to explore and make good memories together. Then, I came home and got back into my old routines. Make the same breakfast. Walk in the same park. Go to the same gym. See the same people. The novelty I had every day for five months was completely gone. This was a lot harder to cope with than I expected, and I think this is what causes the emotional changes that most people talk about feeling when they return from study abroad.
While I was gone, friends and family would ask me what it was that I missed in the U.S. I always told them that I missed my routine. I had really enjoyed getting the same groceries and consistently going to my gym at home. Studying abroad requires you to shift into a different mindset that not many other environments can offer. I was surprised to find that the routine I missed the most, was what actually stopped me from being as happy as I was abroad. Although it is nice to be able to have a routine, having nothing out of the ordinary to look forward to really puts me in a sad place mentally. After reflecting on all of this, I realized that I can combine novelty and routine to be happy. I love trying new things, seeing new places, and meeting new people, all of which are inseparable from a study abroad experience. I just now have to try a bit harder to implement these experiences in my everyday life at home.
Now, for the main differences I noticed. For one, I did not drive a vehicle the entire time I was gone. It was pretty fun to get back behind the steering wheel. Public transportation in major cities was convenient, but, at times, the crowds and the heat could definitely get to me. It is nice to have a space to myself when driving here.
I wish I could go back just for all the fresh bread! I really miss being able to walk down the street and buying a freshly baked baguette for one euro in Paris. It is surprisingly really difficult to buy freshly baked bread in my hometown. I also really appreciated the “slow living". People filled parks everyday to relax and read real, physical books. I rarely saw people sitting on their phones. The European cities felt so lively on every corner. Whenever the weather was remotely nice, people packed out the outdoor seating areas of restaurants to sit for hours with their friends and talk or people watch.
My hardest adjustment being back has been the lack of walking I have been doing. Abroad, I averaged 15,000 steps a day for months. It was just a part of daily living, and never felt like I was doing that much. Back home, the only way I get steps is if I go on a walk for the sole purpose of it, which then feels like it takes a very long time to even reach 10,000. I noticed I felt physically healthy while away because of how much movement I got, which is something I am trying to work to maintain here as well. Unfortunately, it is much harder for Americans who don’t live in walkable cities and do not have that kind of movement ingrained in everyday life.
If you are going abroad, take advantage of every minute you have because once it's over you will wish you were back! With that said, remember to rest when you need it (just a little bit). It is not possible to be on the go the entire time. Your body and mind will need peaceful time to recover after long periods of exploring and not sleeping much. I was not able to go to some of the places I wanted to see the most, but I reminded myself that I can’t see it all in one semester. I have to leave trips for the future, so I have something to look forward to!
I am deeply grateful for the experiences I had living around the world and will never be able to express how much it truly means to me. My experience has made me so much more excited for future travels and inspired me to stay more adventurous in my everyday life in the U.S.!
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