If you’re anything like me, studying abroad was a necessity in my undergraduate college career. I couldn’t imagine the possibility that I did not study abroad. It simply wasn’t an option I thought. I’ll figure out the money thing at some point, but I was going to make it happen. And then, COVID-19 hit.
It was my sophomore year in college filling out applications, looking at scholarships, and wondering where my study abroad experience would take me. I can remember the day when I received the fated email, July 2020.
“Seattle Pacific University has made the difficult decision to cancel study abroad for Fall 2020.”
It was no surprise that this was the case. Like every college student around the country, I moved home to my mom’s house and locked down. There was a glimmer of hope that coronavirus would die down just in time for my expected departure date. But that was wishful thinking.
I postponed my dreams and with only a year left of my undergraduate career, my options were not looking great. Studying abroad was shelved, and Zoom University took precedence.
After being cooped up in my apartment for months on end, it was looking like there may be an end in sight for COVID-19, or so I thought. Yet, the low numbers abroad and the rollout of vaccinations provided a slim chance of a green light to study abroad.
I continued my application process, and after patiently waiting for SPU to approve outgoing study abroad students, I got the go-ahead in July 2021. My preparations began and I hustled to secure housing, sign up for classes, pack, and say goodbye to my friends. And as soon as the last day of August came, I was on a plane to London, England.
Did I already mention I was entirely alone? As in, no friends, no peers, and no one waiting for me in London? Well, that was my situation. I had seen most of my peers gather groups of people to set off for abroad, but I was entirely alone. Did it scare me? Absolutely. Was I going to go no matter what? I think you already know the answer.
I can remember getting off the plane at Heathrow, waiting for my international cellular plan to kick in, awaiting a ride to the school I was placed at. After a few breakdowns, I managed to call an Uber and start the 40 min car ride to the university.
Silence. Those first few hours were quiet. The fact that I was alone finally hit me and began to set in. I got to the check-in on campus and was promptly taken to my dorm room, four floors up an old building with no elevator (or should I say ‘lift”). I dragged my three giant suitcases,backed up the stairs and entered my room.
Silence. Again. I’m not sure if I ever felt more alone than I did right then.
I quickly grabbed my laptop, connected to the very confusing Wi-Fi system, and put on a podcast. No way I was going to sit and cry in complete silence. I would do it in the comfort of NPR’s Guy Raz and the featured entrepreneur.
While struggling to unpack in the poor excuse for a closet, I began to ground myself. There was one student I followed on Instagram from SPU that was also taking part in the program. I quickly typed up a desperate plea for familiarity and directly messaged him. Lucky for me, his friend that joined the program missed his flights, and he was also stranded alone.
I could relay my experience, second after second, but to spare you all the time, I will skip ahead. The next few days, the campus was leading walking tours and other bonding activities for the study abroad students. I worked up the courage and talked to a group of a few girls. They had all come from a private college in Florida and all knew each other. My dream.
I count my lucky stars for meeting those girls because in the next three and a half months, we all became inseparable.
I could paint you a picture of my study abroad experience as sunshine and butterflies, but it wasn’t all that. It wasn’t quite what I dreamt of as a kid, but it was my experience. Being away from home for that long was odd, I missed my mom and my friends. But on the other hand, studying abroad was three months I will never forget.
Exploring London was the best. Without a car, we relied on public transportation with a book in hand, attending classes part-time, and exploring full-time. From coffee shops, food markets, vintage markets,shopping and more, we spent our time away from campus. We quickly picked up the tube maps and navigated to Central London, on a hunt for the best rooftop bar.
There was something so unique during my time abroad. I was completely starting anew. I was meeting a new city and making new friends at the same time. We did everything together, from our weekly trips to the grocery store to impulse buying $20 plane tickets to Milan and taking 10 hour bus rides to Scotland.
I know this feels like a big bragging fest and I promise I am done, just right after this last one. On a random Saturday night/Sunday morning after going to an ABBA themed club night and staying out until 5am, we stalked Twitter to discover the DUNE premiere was going to be in London the next day and it was semi-open to the public. Long-story short, after waking up early and a two hour journey into the city, we managed to get tickets and later that day we were meeting Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, Jason Momoa, and a bunch of other celebrities in the pouring rain. It was the experience of a lifetime.
And I think I can say that for my entire time abroad. It was three months. I can’t imagine it going any differently. Yes, I was alone and emptied my bank account, but I pushed myself to meet new people and manage a semi-realistic budget.
I could say that “everyone should study abroad” and I may be right. But, I would be lying to myself. It was hard. There were some low moments. And my bank account hurt just thinking about it. I hope this doesn’t discourage you from submitting your application but, just remember it’s a big decision and a long time to be away,
I don’t think there is a textbook person who is the only one who thrives studying abroad, but I think you need a drive and curiosity to really do it. You can really make your experience your own, you just gotta put yourself out there. So if you’re up for the lowest of lows, or the highest of highs, buy that plane ticket and just go.