I’m more than halfway through my semester abroad in Toledo, Spain, and while I’m enjoying the experience, there are a few things I wish people had told me before I left.
1. Making friends is hard
Chances are that if you study abroad, you will go during your sophomore or junior year, which means that you would have already settled and found a community at your university. I figured that since I had to make friends at the beginning of college, I wouldn’t have trouble making new friends while abroad, after all, I love new people. What I didn’t realize was that everyone was new at the start of college but abroad programs will likely already have friendships within them. I knew almost no one when I started my program but many people already knew each other, which made making new friendships extremely challenging. I also didn’t realize how close I had gotten with my friends at university. True, I had just met them 2 years ago, but when you live so close to people, it expedites how quickly you can become close. Chin up, though, you’ll find your crew eventually, it might just take time.
2. You learn to be independent
Since making friends is hard, and you don’t have your family around, you learn to be very independent. I’ve gotten used to doing things by myself. Going to a coffee shop, a museum or even a new country alone seems like a breeze these days. At school, I could always drag one of my roommates to keep me company at any event I wanted to go to, but here, everyone has different schedules and interests, so I learned to go by myself. I like the freedom I have abroad and have embraced my inner introvert. Going places by yourself teaches you a lot about about who you are, who you want to be, and the world around you, but it definitely has its challenges.
3. You’re never fully comfortable
Being abroad in another country means that you’re away from your own culture, which may seem like a giant DUH but it means that you stand out. All the time. I didn’t realize that I screamed American until I got here but everything, my clothes, the way I walk and hold myself, my facial expressions, all give me away. I most likely will never be mistaken as a native Spaniard, especially if they hear me speaking, (and that’s okay!) but the feeling never goes away.
I also chose to live with a host family, which is great; however, I feel like I’m constantly tiptoeing around the house. I have to act on my best behavior since I’m a guest in someone’s home and I don’t want to take advantage of their generosity. It’s just another place where I’m hyper aware of my actions and always a little bit uncomfortable.
4. Traveling is exhausting
There will most likely people in your program that are traveling every single weekend to different countries. While that’s a great way to see new places and have new experiences, it can be really draining. The early morning flights, airport stress, super packed tourist schedules as you’re trying to see everything a city has to offer in 2 days, and constant movement all take a toll. It’s okay to stay in your program’s town for a weekend or two and take it slow. You need rest and a break and the aforementioned uncomfortability already takes a mental toll.
5. Save as much as you can
I know this seems like a no brainer but I didn’t do a great job of this and constantly have to budget my spending. Traveling so much is expensive, not to mention that USD is worth less than the euro, and you most likely won’t be working. Not having a job while abroad is probably the hardest part about my spending habits: I have no way to make the money back. So save as much as you can before you go and try to be frugal about your spending once you get abroad.