It’s that time of the year again. No, not the one with cheery jingles, merry drinking, and present giving despite the incessant snowfall that unfortunately no longer conjures images of glistening treetops and bright days, not to mention that “Dreaming of a White Christmas” is far from our present thoughts. From what I hear across the pond, the overarching sentiment is “down with Roker” as the daily weather report comes to be nicknamed the Snowpocolypse. No matter the lack of eggnog (spiked would be preferred at this point) in hand, this time of the year is obviously a little less festive. But just as social media populated: marked by sophomore status updates about upcoming fall semester travel plans and current wanderlust students bragging about their Thursday adventure checking in at their respective hostels in “the land of pasta and pizza” with “feeling Italian” aptly noted. Welcome to the most study-abroad time of the year, admittedly not the cleverest of captions but at least efficient in its explanation.
As your Facebook newsfeed is practically scaling the heights of Interlaken, Switzerland itself, you cannot help but fantasize about your potential plans to Eurotrip, Britney Spears style. Thoughts racing, images colliding, you have officially forgotten about your PSYH 100 paper hiding in the background of your Safari window: what does the purpose of your amygdala matter anyway when you’re knee deep in wine and tapas? The whole concept of studying in a foreign land with esteemed culinary creations, that is rich in history and culture, and where adventure lurks on every corner sounds magical: a veritable Narnia as you sit bundled in the corner of the East Reading Room. And I am not here to bring down your Disney caliber imagination but rather just to “bring you back to reality…whoop there goes gravity.”
Whether you are preemptively packing for your Fall 2014 escapade or applying for a spring escape, I am here to provide you with a little over six weeks of abroad experience. So, do not forget a pair of shower shoes for forecasted hostel hopping and, as the Office of International Education preaches, the f word…flexibility. Although it truly is all fun and games, I am here to add to a little reality to your growing fantasy. Quite simply, there are a variety of harsh realities that hit home within your first few weeks of foreign fun.
- Say goodbye to your mother’s travel agent double. It is as if it is every veteran study abroad student feels the need to convince you that traveling is “like super cheap and super easy.” And yes, comparatively, it is far easier to hop from country to country while living in a foreign continent than traveling from the United States. However, the closeted condition behind Eurotripping is our far too familiar friend, stress. A few fair warnings: you will sit in café for too many hours, arguing with your friends about when to leave, how to leave, where to leave, and all together, do we even leave? Granted there are sites that help you sift through airlines and all their hurdles. However, these sites are just as lazy as you on a Sunday afternoon and therefore, do not always show the cheapest options. Also, your abroad amigos do not necessarily have the exact same bucket list as you, and as such, you have to face the facts of compromise. Do not let any of this deter you from jet-setting for three-day weekends, but do approach the situation with a little less eagerness: breathe, it will all get done, but only after a lot of breathing.
- Your BU ID does not have an international option. While studying abroad you will face a scary foreshadow of the future: a world without swipes. Gasp. Arriving abroad, you will realize that you are far too accustomed to walking into a café, moreover the Bison, and just charging your cravings. Do you want to experience nightlife, embark on travels, and adopt a European wardrobe? Then you are going to have to say hello to the b word (bitch of a) budget. Cuts are going to have to be made, and they might just begin with the alphabet: candy by the pound Bison style is going to have to go. You might be thinking: but you can still swipe a credit or debit card? Well played, my friend, but just make sure you’re keeping track of your plastic purchases. It is all about a balance, just begin by figuring out what you value most purchasing: an entrance to that elite club or coveted tickets to the city of love for Valentine’s Day.
- Let me introduce you to your new friend: free time. But this time, through a harsh realization that my waistline cannot sustain such a lifestyle, is not panadería (or boulangerie, or bakery, or eating) time. It is a fact that the baked goods abroad blow away your average American Panera toast, and you are going to want to indulge more than once a day: I mean after all you are abroad right? But think again. You’re abroad for at least four months; now multiply that number of days by your twice-daily visit to your corner pastry shop. Ahh, yes, you see now? Free time is fabulous, especially after semesters at Bucknell running from club activity in the LC to group meeting in Bertrand. However, it is quite the challenge scouting out methods to spend this free time. Naps and snacking are great for the first few days, but look a little deeper into the future: you are going to need at least one activity to keep you busy and it might even be found at a—dare I say it—gym.
- Life goes on without you. If you are even considering studying abroad, a veteran or two has warned you of the scary realization that “life goes on at school without you there.” And you think while sitting on the quad that this is impossible: you are the bubble, and the bubble is you. I hate to break it to you dreamers, but as Lennon once said, you’re not the only one. Life at the Buck proceeds the minute the second week of January or the last of August rolls around, despite your step onto that United flight departing from Newark Airport. “America” will proceed without your name on the register list, and you won’t be asked to a date party because quite simply, you are not there. I will be the first to admit that the realization that life rolls on is tough, but brush it off with a look around you: does the quad have the finest gelato in the world or the Berlin wall in the background?
- Locals aren’t running to meet you. In your library entranced fantasy of study abroad, you muse over the possibility of foreign friends. You think, without even consciously acknowledging it, that at a drop of a dime, locals will be running to mock your American accent, learn about your travels, and maybe even teach you the ropes of your respective city. And this is all very possible…but beyond the drop of a dime. It takes effort to meet natives, and it all begins with dropping your American air, ethnocentric USA pride, and understanding the flipped position: they might not be seeking a foreign friend either.
As my sixth week rapidly progresses into the seventh, these realizations become a figment of the past learning process. And if there is anything I have found—besides these five groundbreaking actualities—is that abroad is, above everything, a learning process. So do not be deterred but warned because, no matter your pride, you can always use a friendly warning. May the force be with you as abroad approaches or as the statuses pile up because it’s frustrating that “ahh the smell of tots @ The Flying Bison” doesn’t equate to your friend’s late night shwarma update.