To the girl preparing to study abroad,
Brace yourself for an experience you will never forget. Going abroad is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences, but you won’t regret a single one. Right now, you are probably worried about getting your visa documents gathered and wondering if the government is going to accept some random American who can’t speak that country’s language to live there for five months.Â
You’re wondering if this is all worth it; you’re questioning why you decided to study abroad in the first place. What if you don’t make any friends? How are you going to travel around and navigate the city without knowing the language? What if your host family situation is terrible and you become a study abroad horror story? I know you are running to Duolingo and rushing through lessons so you know the basics and feel less stressed about ordering food. The good thing is that pays off.Â
Stop stressing about the unknown and instead, embrace it. Little do you know that the spontaneity and impulsive decisions you’re going to make are actually going to give you the best memories. You want to plan every single trip right now and make sure you have a detailed itinerary for every place you want to hit. Put the pen down. You’d probably have a heart attack if you knew you booked a trip for a random Tuesday and came back at 3 am the next day just to see your favorite band in another country. Don’t worry, you ended up seeing your favorite song by them and still managed to do your three presentations running on two hours of sleep. You’ll also eat your way through the cities that have been on your bucket list for years. Think waffles and fries in Belgium, Sachertorte and schnitzel in Vienna, gyros in Greece and the ones you’ll always remember: Marie’s crepes and raclette.
You think you’re such an introverted and shy person, so how are you going to make new friends? Every. Single. Person. Is in the same position as you. Remember freshman year in the dorms? You might’ve hated it, but think of it like that. It’ll be better than that, though. You didn’t get to travel to foreign countries, explore new cultures, and temporarily live in a foreign city with your week-long freshman year friends. That abroad friend group you’ll meet will look at you like you’re insane for coming abroad alone. Take pride in that.Â
You’ll make frenemies here and there and wonder if that boy actually meant what he said to you. He didn’t, but it’s just another story for you to tell. From the minute you touch down to the second you get on the airplane back home, time will go faster than you could imagine. Live in every moment, even the moments you want so badly to be home with your family and friends. Trust me when I say that after coming back home, you will be thinking about your time abroad constantly. So, no matter how much you will hate that everything is closed on Sundays and Mondays… the people you’ll meet, the experiences you’ll create and the life that you’ll live will all make up for that. Seriously, enjoy every single moment.
