Studying abroad is the best thing ever. And I don’t mean to sound like one of those clichés, like the “I-studied-abroad-and-it-changed-my-life” people, but it’s true. But here’s the thing - studying abroad is great, super cool, and life changing, but coming back home is not the easiest experience ever. When I first moved back, I jumped straight into school, because the semesters (my semester abroad and my semester at my home university) overlapped. I packed up and left my apartment in Amsterdam and the country I had called home for 6 months, and two days later I was back in class in Southern California. So in order to properly encapsulate what it feels like to come back, here are 11 ways you know you’ve studied abroad.
It feels like your time studying abroad was a dream
This one is so real, people.I have been home for 2 months now, and the whole world that I had built for myself six months ago no longer exists. Even if I got on a plane this instant and flew back to the Netherlands, I would not be able to re-enter the life that I had. It doesn’t exist anymore, so beside the items that I brought back, the photos I took, and the friends I made, it sometimes feels like it simply never existed. That’s the thing about time - while it’s happening, it feels like you will forever be in that moment. But when you get back, it feels like you blinked, and 6 months rushed past you like a semi truck going 90 on the 405.
Reverse culture shock is so real
I came back to a (literally) different America. While I was gone, the president changed, quite a few laws changed, and, to my surprise, I had gotten accustomed to the change in scenery, pace, and volume of Europe. There was a moment when I got back and I was in a room with five of my friends and I was viscerally affected by the sheer volume of everyone talking. And I’m a loud person. I realized that also realized that I now walk as if I am in a race, and that also, holy crap do we juggle a lot of things in our lives all at the same time that are incredibly demanding as Americans. None of this is bad, per say, but yeah, it takes some getting used to once you are back.
It kinda feels like you’re on vacation in your own home country
This phenomenon is SO STRANGE. For at least the first month, even though I was performing the duties of a student, and a human that lives in America, I felt like I was on some sort of vacation. I felt like any day I would be going back, and I would be like, “oh ha ha, that was a fun trip to America”. This was definitely not the case. It took a surprising amount of time to convince myself that I was actually back for good, and that I needed to get my act together, because this is my real life. (Not to discount my time abroad by calling it not my real life, it was my real life, but, you know, you get it.)
People don’t really get it
No really, people don’t understand how you feel. And when you try to explain yourself or say that you are sad, or confused, or miss your friends or your life there, you often get told to “live in the present” and “not to complain, because you got to live in Europe”. Which (I agree) are rational responses - but I have feelings, and I’m allowed to feel them. Just because I studied abroad doesn’t mean that I took a 6 month vacation. While I was gone, I completed an entire honors international journalism minor. That’s equivalent to approximately 11 classes.
Everyone thinks you’re bragging all the time
Considering that literally all my stories for the last 6 months come from a different country, anytime that I have anything to contribute to a conversation, it often begins with “In Ireland,” or “One time at Oktoberfest in Munich,” or “While I was at the Eiffel Tower.” People really don’t like that. I’m not trying to brag - I just don’t have anything based in America to tell you that is not like a year old. But I get it, FOMO.
You can’t just jet off to another country over the weekend
RyanAir, EasyJet, and trains are the best things ever invented. I darted all over Europe (while doing my homework, mind you) for 20 euro a weekend. It was amazing, super close, and incredibly cheap. But this is causing some major antsiness in this girl with the super travel bug over here. Having had the opportunity to travel and see new things every weekend makes you wonder what the rest of the world is like, and what you could be doing instead of your daily routine.
It changes your whole perspective
Living in another country for any significant amount of time teaches you to have a more global perspective. You get to understand how other people view your home country. You see the issues that are happening outside our borders that are not perhaps placed in the media very often. More than anything, you begin to understand your place in the world. You understand that humans are not that different to each other, regardless of language, skin color, style, or culture. We all just want some kind of connection. We all yearn for a greater understanding of the world around us, and we all need love and appreciation.
You changed… and now other people have to readjust to you
I wasn’t expecting this. But friends that I have talked to since I got back all made one very common observation - I was different. Maybe it is that I no longer care what anyone else thinks about me, maybe it’s that I spent 6 months discovering myself and now feel like I’m more me than I ever was before. Either way, you’re different. You have to readjust to the world that was used to the old you - and they have to adjust to you. Relationships are a two way street. But the good news is that it’s a chance to re-evaluate who is important in your life, and who maybe wasn’t healthy for your growth in the first place.
You totally miss hearing people with accents everywhere you go
I have an almost unkindly obsession with people who have accents. If someone has an accent, especially one that reminds me of the accents I heard while I was gone, I hang on to every word. I wish that people would send me more snapchats in Dutch because I just miss hearing it. Honestly, I kind of miss having no idea what anyone was saying around me. It was a fun game in expanding my imagination. Long story short, if you have an accent, call me. ;)
You are already planning your next overseas adventure.
As soon as I got home, I jumped on skyscanner and had already begun looking at the cost of plane flights. As soon as you get the travel bug, it is hard to get ignore, and even harder to get rid of. You are constantly plagued by images of the places you have already been, and the endless opportunities waiting out there for you. Once you’ve unlocked the realization that it isn’t as expensive, difficult, or scary as you think, it’s all over.
You have major fomo from all of the people you follow from your adventures.
My entire newsfeed on facebook, my instagram, and my snapchat is full of people from all over the world. Friends I have made who live in other countries, and people that I met that were travelers like myself. This is really great while you are out traveling - you can find new places to go, and meet up with people when you realize you are in the same place. However, when you get back home and people are still out there traveling, it’s a bit of a struggle. Every time I like (love, let’s be honest) someone’s photos from Scotland, Egypt, China, or anywhere else, I get so jealous. I start questioning all my life decisions, like, what would happen if I just quit everything again and bought a one way plane ticket? These are the real questions.
I remember when people were telling me about their experiences when I was about to leave for Amsterdam. I remember sitting in my apartment in Amsterdam and thinking that this time that I would be writing this specific article was going to come faster than I thought. But I also remember moments where time stood still. Sitting under the fireworks on New Years in Berlin. Drinking wine on the canals with my best friend that I made while I was there, introducing my whole class to the concept of Thanksgiving. These are moments that no one can ever take away from me. And they begin a list of memories that I hope to never cease to add to.
