While everyone says studying abroad is one of the best experiences a young adult can go through, it has its ups and downs. I’m originally from the Caribbean and I’ve been studying in Tampa for a little over a year and while it has been such a great life-altering experience, it has its disadvantages and lonely times. Today I’m going to share a few of these so if you’re an international student or even an out of state student that can’t go home frequently, you may be able to relate and know you’re not alone!
Firstly, I was someone who never got the flu back home and if I did, it would happen like once a year and go away within 3 days as my mom would give me all the medication to feel better. However, so far I’ve gotten sick twice this semester and it usually takes me a while to recover. I find myself facetiming my mom because I usually don’t know which medication to get and not taking them as much as I need to as my mom isn’t there to make sure. Also, sometimes sleeping in my mom’s bed or having her make home remedies for me or even a hot cup of tea isn’t an option when I’m abroad. This has become a struggle for me as taking care of myself when I’m sick can be tough when I still have to do assignments or take myself to the hospital.
Secondly, seeing my in-state friends getting help with mundane tasks when I have to do it on my own can be a struggle. Things such as going to the grocery store every few weeks while they get home cooked meals, doing my laundry or even moving out of my dorm on my own at the end of the year was a struggle. I sometimes wish I had my dad here to help me lift the heavy things or my mom to help me when my fridge leaked all over or even do my laundry for me when I have a lot of homework to do.
Another struggle I find myself having as an international student in the US is not having a driver’s license and a car. Florida is not a very walkable state and not being able to drive here is inconvenient at times when I need to go run errands, drive to the doctors or just take a mental break from school and campus and go on a drive.
All this aside, I wouldn’t trade studying abroad for anything. It has given me invaluable experiences, friendships and I have discovered so many great things about myself through this newfound independence. However, it is perfectly normal to acknowledge the downsides and know you’re not alone in this and everyone feels this way at some point in time. All of these tasks will only make you more independent and having a great support system is key to navigating studying abroad.