Ciao, bellas! Greetings from Florence, Italy, where I have been living for the past three months!
I have wanted to study abroad for what seems like forever. Even in high school, I remember having conversations with my friends discussing in which foreign city I would study and to where I would travel. Now that I am only four weeks away from the conclusion of my study abroad experience, I have begun to think about my time abroad and what I have learned.
Was studying abroad as incredible as I thought it would be? No, it was even better. Was it harder than I anticipated? Absolutely. But was it more rewarding than I thought it would be? Without a doubt.
Seeing that I will be back in America in exactly one month, I decided to make a list of some things I have learned during my time away. I hope they will be useful not only for anyone planning to study abroad, but also for anyone who simply wants to travel and explore the world.
1. Traveling alone is scary, but also necessary.
I am not talking about going on a long weekend trip by yourself (though, by all means, if you want to, go for it). I’m only suggesting a day trip or a train ride or a night in a hotel by yourself. Traveling alone gives you time to think and discover at your own will. You are 100% on your own agenda, so, if you want to spend two hours in a museum, you can, and if you want to leave after five minutes, you can do that too! Studying abroad keeps you so busy that you rarely have time to think. I have done some of my best thinking and reflecting while sitting on a train or a plane en route to meet friends in another city.
2. Get off of the grid.
When you study abroad, you will most likely purchase a SIM card for the country in which you are studying (for example, I purchased an Italian SIM card and am on an Italian cell phone plan). However, when you leave the country, you will have minimal to no data. Sounds dreadful, right? I never anticipated what a relief it would be to keep my phone on airplane mode while traveling. There is something so refreshing about not checking my phone every five minutes and something so nice about sitting in a restaurant and actually talking to my friends, eye to eye, with no distractions. There is enough wifi that you can check GoogleMaps to get you where you want to go (and fun fact: the GPS still works even if your phone is on airplane mode). I promise that if you don’t respond to your best friend’s Snapchat or your boyfriend’s text for a few hours, the world will go on. And they’ll understand – after all, you’re traveling the world.
3. Be sure to get out of your comfort zone.
This means something different for everyone. For me, getting out of my comfort zone was choosing a study abroad program without any of my friends from home. I got on the plane to Florence knowing no one – I literally went to a foreign country by myself. I was terrified, and I had never been more out of my comfort zone in my life. But I am so glad I made the decision I did, because it allowed me to meet some really incredible people with whom I will keep in touch for years to come. This approach is not the only way to get out of your comfort zone, however. Getting out of your comfort zone may mean using public transportation in an unknown city or turning off the data on your phone (see above) or trying a new food. Either way, study abroad is the perfect excuse to put yourself in a new and different situation.
4. Culture shock is real.
Yes, culture shock is very real. Grocery shopping is very different; Seamless doesn’t exist in Europe. People act differently and have different cultural expectations. It will be hard at first, but, once you learn to embrace it, you’ll get used to it in no time. Perhaps the biggest culture shock for me was the public transportation in Florence. A commute that should take 30 minutes usually takes me about an hour because the buses rarely run on schedule. Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in New York anymore! Do I still complain about the pitiful public transportation? You can ask my mom – I definitely still do. But, I’ve gotten used to it. It became a part of my daily life very quickly. And I can tell you one thing – the next time the 1 train is coming in 7 minutes instead of 2, I will not complain.
5. Homesickness is very real, but that’s okay.
I don’t think this needs much explanation. Being away from home for four months is not easy. There will be tough days when all you want is a hug from your mom and your best friend, who are both thousands of miles away. And I’m not just talking about missing home – missing school, New York, or America is okay too! But I promise that most people around you will be going through the same thing. So, the absolute worst thing to do is feel guilty or bad about it. While the time difference is a pain, family and friends are still just a text, phone call, or FaceTime away!
6. Being away from anything or anyone for four months will demonstrate how important it is/they are.
This may sound cliché and self-explanatory, but it is so true. Of course, I knew that I would miss my family and friends who were not abroad. I learned that I definitely take for granted going to school so close to where I live. I don’t even go home that often while I’m at Barnard, but just knowing that my home and family are only a 40-minute train ride away is comforting. I also realized how much I miss living with my friends from Barnard. While I do frequently see my friends from school who are also abroad, it feels strange not to live in the same apartment or dorm as them. I see friends who I was used to seeing every day only on the weekends, which makes me so appreciate the precious 72 hours we have together and the much-needed taste of home. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me is how much I miss Barnard. Being away from the college that I love so dearly makes me realize just how unique it is. The community at Barnard/Columbia is unparalleled and the support system incredible, even from thousands of miles away. The people, the classes, the resources, and the various communities on campus in which I am involved – studying abroad has made me appreciate each and every one of these things even more.
7. Learning is so much more than sitting in a classroom.
You can ask anyone who knows me well – I absolutely love learning and love all of my classes. I am not suggesting to just travel and skip classes (it’s called studying abroad for a reason). What I am suggesting, however, is that traveling will teach you so much, not only about the places you visit, but also about yourself and the culture from which you come. Wherever you travel, take time to sit in a local, non-touristy coffee shop or restaurant and just observe. Take the public transportation to get a sense for what the daily life is like in the city you are visiting. Learn how to say “hello” and “thank you” in the local language (even if it’s a seemingly impossible language like Czech or Hungarian) because locals really do appreciate it. My friends and I always enjoyed beginning our visit to another city with a free walking tour (they’re offered in almost every city) in order to learn about the history and culture of the new city. I can now tell you random, hilarious, and interesting anecdotes about the cities I visited that I would not have learned just by sitting in a classroom. Even better, I can take what I have learned during my travels and apply them to information in the classroom (yes, I’m a nerd…I told you I love learning).
8. It’s good to get lost sometimes.
Chances are that, when you explore a city in which you’ve never before stepped foot, you may get a little lost. Even GoogleMaps will sometimes lead you astray. But, accidentally turning onto the wrong street or getting on the metro heading in the wrong direction isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s sometimes a blessing in disguise. In addition to finding a funky coffee shop or store you otherwise would not have found, attempting to find your way around in an unknown city will make you instantly closer to the people with whom you’re traveling. On my first weekend trip of studying abroad, I traveled to Verona with some friends from my program in Florence. In an attempt to find our Airbnb, we accidentally got on a bus heading in the opposite direction. After realizing the correct stop was nowhere in sight, we used our broken Italian to figure out how to transfer to the correct bus. Oh, and did I mention it was pouring rain? We were laughing about the experience the rest of the evening (after finally finding the Airbnb and drying off, of course) and it no doubt made us closer.
9. Pictures cannot always capture the beauty of what you are looking at.
It’s normal to go somewhere and want to take a picture of every view and every building, just to ensure that you will not forget them. But, the fact is that pictures can only do so much. A picture cannot capture the beauty of the Prague castle at night or the view from Montserrat, a mountain near Barcelona, or even a sunset in the Tuscan sky. Wherever I am, I always remind myself to put the camera down for a second and commit the scene to memory. A picture may speak a thousand words, but there are some views and sights for which there are no words.
10. Moments are fleeting.
Another cliché, but a fact that has become very, very real to me during my time abroad. Studying abroad is an experience unlike any other. Every day will bring something new. There will be good days, bad days, incredible days, and days when you’re just confused. Whatever it is, don’t forget to stop and think about where you are. Even on the days when I was stressed or missing home, I was sure to remind myself, “Hey, you’re in Florence right now. Go get gelato, go walk by the Arno. This experience is once in a lifetime.” When I travel and explore new cities on weekends, I am only there for a few days and must make the 72 hours count. Moments with friends, moments exploring, and moments just walking around your host city – they are all so important and special. If you’re planning to study abroad, I encourage you to keep a journal or blog and document your thoughts. You don’t have to write in it all the time, but there will be moments that you will just want to remember; writing it down is the best way to ensure that you will. You may visit the same countries in the future, but you will never be back as the exact person you are right now.
Finally, before going abroad, I decided to keep a blog. While I don’t update it all the time, I know that I will read it in a few years and be so glad I wrote down my thoughts. Four months may seem like a long time, but they go by very quickly. I’m stunned that in one month, I will be home. In two months, I will be starting my summer internship. In five, I will be beginning my senior year. And in one year, I will be getting ready to graduate college. The reality that moments are fleeting has become so apparent. Study abroad is the semester to grasp every moment, embrace every strange emotion, and take in everything that your city has to offer. I hope that if I do this, when my plane lands at JFK in four short weeks, I will regret absolutely nothing about my four months abroad.
xo Nicole