This past spring semester I was fortunate enough to study abroad in the city of love and I have never loved a place more. While there were times I was extremely homesick, to the point of tears, I would always remind myself how incredible the study abroad opportunity truly is.
I found myself feeling the most homesick when I was sitting at my desk in my room at my host family’s house feeling like I wasn’t taking advantage of the wonderful city I was in. But I was dumbfounded. I didn’t want to go do things alone, experiences are always better when you have someone to share them with. But I also didn’t want to spend money. And oh god, if I had to take another metro or RER ride I thought I was going to die of exhaustion. But as the semester went on and I realized that I could watch Netflix in my bed anywhere, anytime I began to explore more and I found that doing things on my own could be really liberating.
The following list really applies to Paris, but fill in the Eiffel Tower with the Trevi Fountain if you're in Italy or Big Ben if you're in London, you get the idea.
1. Take a bottle of wine and some bread and cheese for dinner at the Eiffel Tower
This was by far one of my favorite things to do, by myself or with my friends. Some people don’t know this but at night the Eiffel Tower twinkles every hour for the first ten minutes and it really is breathtaking. My favorite part is, if you get there before 7 pm, you can hear all the tourists cheer and gasp when it lights up for the first time. Grab a bottle of wine or some S. Pellegrino and a fresh baguette and some cheese and just got sit at the edge of Trocadero Plaza and soak up all the sights, sounds, and feelings, because you’ll never forget it I promise.
2. Walking through/ Reading/ Doing homework at Luxembourg Garden
Or really any garden. Apart from being able to get to anywhere in Paris in less than an hour, the parks were probably my favorite part of the city. They were all so beautiful even in the winter, but especially in the spring. And when the weather changes and starts to warm up there is nothing, nothing like going for a run in Luxembourg with all of the families and kids playing football on the concrete. There is so much energy and so much life.
3. JUST WALK
One of the best days I had in Paris was when I got lost and ended up walking from the 17th arrondissement all the way home to the 13th. I was supposed to meet some friends at a restaurant and I was in my heeled booties, which was not the best shoe for walking over 10 miles, but I had never been happier than when I walked across the city seeing the Champs-Elysée, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, The Louvre, Luxembourg Garden, and all the Parisians going through their daily lives. So take the time to get lost, because I promise you’ll find something along the way.
4. Talk to your family and friends
There’s nothing wrong with calling and texting your family and friends back home, to be honest, this kept me sane. Because as much fun as the independence of study abroad is, it’s easy to feel lonely in such a big city where you don’t know anyone.
5. Keep a blog/ journal
One of the best decisions of my life was starting to keep a blog AND a journal. On my blog I could be creative and write whatever, whenever and it was quick and easy because I could just type all my thoughts down, but my journal was more personal and at the end of every day I would put something, like a Polaroid, or a ticket, or a flower and tape it into my journal for safe keeping; and I know that when I’m older and look back, that is going to be one of my most treasured possessions.
6. Meet up with friends in other countries
Familiar faces are always great and can bring a small piece of home to you. I had multiple friends from USC come visit me and I went and saw a bunch of my friends too, and it made life seem a little less hectic and a little more regular. Because sometimes you don’t realize just how much you really miss your routine until you’re out of it.
7. Stay busy
The worst thing you can do is nothing. If you’re feeling homesick don’t do what I did for the first three weeks and just sit at home sulking and thinking about how much you miss your family. Go out and explore, read a book in a different language, figure out some travel plans for the future, listen to music, write a song at a park, anything that won’t have you shut up in your bedroom like a hermit.
Remember: Study abroad isn’t for everyone. I’ve had friends who were over the moon about taking a semester to study in a foreign country and they ended up going home because they just weren’t enjoying themselves. There is no shame in going home or taking a semester off.
