Once the flight has been booked and the last item of clothing tucked away into a suitcase, most people would think their study abroad pre departure preparations would be over. Unfortunately not every part of your trip can be planned before you go. There are some lessons that you have to learn through experience or, in other words, the hard way.
It is a good idea to get to know the group you will be traveling with before your flight. It can be awkward not knowing who is in the group and who is not, possibly making it so that you end up away from everyone at the airport. Setting up a Facebook group for everyone to join and allowing people to introduce themselves beforehand is a great way to make connections before boarding time.
Senior criminology and criminal justice major Amber Bowen said “I wish that I had made better friends with the people in my group beforehand so that when I was going through the airport I wasn’t by myself.”
Once you finally land at your study abroad destination it can be daunting trying to find your way around. Oftentimes faculty members don’t lead you by the hand to help you navigate your way in a foreign country.
“I wish I had known I was expected to know how to get around in a country I didn’t know,” Bowen said. “We would get lost because we didn’t know we were expected to find our own ways around.”
Going to a new country can be intimidating and scary. Homesickness might set in especially in the beginning days of your trip. It can be easy to want to Skype or Facebook chat family and friends during down time. But the best thing to do when you have free time is to make the most of the experience of being in a new country.
“While staying in touch with friends is important, I think students should set time restrictions on Facebook,” sophomore history major Maya Munoz said. “I think the best thing to do is to be involved in your community as much as possible.”
(Photo credit to Michelle Snyder)
Sometimes the program won’t put you in direct contact with people from your host country. This can make it even harder to experience the culture.
“We weren’t integrated into the college community,” junior kinesiology major Michelle Snyder said. “We had our own building on a separate street. It was hard to interact with any of the foreign students.”
It’s important to make the effort to know the people around you in order to fully experience the country. Whether it’s interacting with other international students or spending time with your host family, it’s always beneficial to get to know someone from a different culture.
“If you have a host family, don’t lock yourself up in your room,” Munoz said. “Try and hang out with them as much as possible, even if they’re just watching the news. You never know what conversations might result from that.”
Studying abroad is truly a learning experience that you can’t always prepare for in advance. The biggest piece of advice that can be given is to make the most out of your trip because you won’t be there forever. And most importantly, have fun!