So, you’ve come back from your semester abroad. You’ve seen the world, opened your eyes, and there’s been a change inside of you that you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know will not be going away anytime soon.
The problem: no one wants to hear it.
It’s great that so many people choose to study abroad; international experience makes us better students, attractive potential employees, and most importantly, more understanding and well-rounded people. In times like this, when it’s easy to fear what we don’t know, it’s important to go outside of our comfort zones and learn about cultures and other parts of the globe. While it’s great that more students are adding semesters abroad to their academic plans, it makes it sound overplayed when we return with the “life-changing experience” card and ramble to our friends about how much we miss “the little things.”
Trust me, I know how tempting it is to open the floodgates when someone asks how my semester was. I know the bubbling frustration that occurs when someone simply says, “How was abroad?” as if I could sum up those months into the classic, “It was good!” It took me a while to realize that everyone besides my family did not want to hear every story that I had. Even my closest friends who supported me before and during my journey just wanted the SparkNotes version.
With this in mind, and knowing how much you are dying to make someone understand how impactful this trip was, here are eight ways to share your abroad experience without being too “extra” about it:
1. Pick one place, one story, and stick to that
When asked, “Which place was your favorite?” or “What was the best part?”, it is tempting to say that you couldn’t possibly pick just one and give them the reasons why at least five cities are tied for your favorite. Instead, take the time to think over your favorite memories and condense them into one story that you can use as your go-to when you get asked the generic questions. Think of a way to sum it up and be able to answer the questions directly and to the point; it’s hard, but your friends and acquaintances will appreciate it.
2. Limit the social media posts
You obviously took a number of great pictures from everywhere you went, but in the same way people don’t want to hear every detail, they don’t want to see every picture. Fortunately, Instagram now lets you put multiple pictures into one post, which is a good cure when you feel the need to share. No one can blame you for wanting to relive your adventures, but it does get tiring when every Thursday becomes a #tbt and every rainy day becomes a “I miss the days when…”. Side note: this includes scrolling through all your pictures when someone asks to see one; don’t do it.
3. Create a social media account where you can share multiple pictures at once
If you can’t fight the need to post, Tumblr, VSCO, Facebook, and even blogs are good for this. Tumblr and VSCO allow you to post multiple pictures at a time without room for captions – which is good, because it’s easy to get carried away. Facebook is a classic for albums filled with hundreds of pictures, and family members are always eager to see our trips around the world. Blogging is another great way to communicate everything from the big stories to the tiny details, and it also gives the opportunity to create writing samples to share with potential employers that may ask for them.
4. Apply to work in your school’s education abroad office
Finally, a place that genuinely wants to hear every detail! Many abroad offices look for peer advisers or campus ambassadors to promote study abroad programs, and the office will utilize your stories or photos. Penn State even has an Education Abroad photo contest where you can win prizes for submitting photos from your semester abroad. The EA office is quite possibly the one place that can’t get enough of your experience – they are a great resource to have, and it’s always a plus to be able be to help younger students with their decisions on where to go and how to apply.
5. Make plans with your abroad friends
Get it out of your system with the people you shared these experiences with! If you studied abroad with friends or met classmates from your school, you’re in the lucky position of having your travel buddies on campus with you. Schedule some time for all of you to meet up and reminisce about the good old days. If your abroad friends go to different schools, make a time and place to meet over the summer so everyone can get together. Bonus points if you go somewhere related to the country you studied in.
6. Contact someone from your abroad institution
More often than not, education abroad institutions have their own blogs or newsletters that they allow current and former students to contribute to. It’s a win-win, because having alumni promote their program once they’re home also benefits the school. If there’s an opportunity for you to somehow contribute and stay in the touch with your abroad program, by all means take it; it could become a good resume booster and offers an opportunity for you to pass on the knowledge you’ve gained to the next group of students.
7. Get crafty
Print your pictures and make a collage, scrapbook, or simply hang them up in your room. This allows you to get creative and you can pick and choose as many moments as you would like to display. Besides, your walls are the only place where every picture can fit. Bonus: when you have visitors and they point to a picture and ask a question, that’s basically an invitation for you to talk about it for as long as you want. It’s your room and they asked – they brought it on themselves.
8. Call your mom and vent
She’ll listen, right?
It’s hard to get used to the school year after going abroad so good luck, collegiettes!
Photos: Kelsie Ahern, Allie Maniglia and Becky Sorensen