This year I have been especially excited about the start of the Fall semester. I spent the Spring semester studying abroad and it has been eight months since I had been on campus. I couldn’t wait to be back at App- I was excited to be back on campus, to see my friends, to go hiking, and to go to my favorite restaurants and coffee shops. But in all honesty, I did not know what to expect when I came back to Boone. Would everything be the same? Or would everything be totally different?
As a study abroad student, I was warned that the transition back to “normal life” after studying abroad could be difficult- reverse culture shock is a very real thing. Just as I was getting used to living in a new country and appreciating what it had to offer, I was on a plane to come back to the U.S. Yes, I did have the summer to decompress and get used to being home, but college life is a very different thing in other countries.
To my relief, Boone hasn’t changed too much…but I have. I have had to readjust to college life here. If I’m being honest college life here is more my speed that college life in Milan, Italy, but it is still an adjustment nonetheless.
I have also come to the realization that my experiences last semester are vastly different than that of my friends and my peers. It can be hard when catching up with friends, since I can’t keep up with their conversation because of the things I’ve “missed.” In these instances, I have also become cautious of how much I talk about my own semester abroad, since not many people can relate to my experience and I don’t want to seem as if I’m bragging.
This really has been harder than I thought it would be. While I know my friends have no intention of not including me, it is hard not to feel a little left out.
This all being said, this has not been a negative experience, it has been a positive one. I am a senior and I know my life is about to change dramatically, as will the lives of my friends. We aren’t going to be in the same place or doing the same things forever, and I have come to appreciate this.
This first week back has also been an eye opener for me to how I’ve changed as a person since studying abroad. I am so much more independent, I care so much less about others’ opinions of me, and I am even more motivated in my classes. When I do feel discouraged, I just remind myself of what I did during my semester abroad- I moved to another country alone and made an amazing time out of it. And that is exactly what I plan to do this fall. I’m back and this is going to be the best semester yet.
Sources:
Giphy.com
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