Studying abroad is one of the most life-changing adventures a student can embark on. From the time you leave the United States until the time you return, every single day is a new experience. No student comes home without hundreds of stories and a deep love for the country they got the opportunity to call home. After coming back to America, there are three main stages of readjustment and each stage makes you want to return to the land that stole your heart more than the last.
Stage One
This stage begins right after you leave your beautiful host country and head back to "the states." After a full 24 (or more) hours of traveling, you have returned! Breathing American air and being on American soil has never felt so amazing. The fact that you’re extremely jet lagged and delirious makes the reunion with your family and loved ones all the more special. It felt like years since you had last seen them, but at the same time, it went by in the blink of an eye. Throughout the first days and weeks of being home, you see things you’ve been dreaming about for the past semester. Things like Chipotle, carpet, your car, and cell phone data are being treasured more than ever. Everyone asks you how your trip was, but answering that question is nearly impossible. How do you sum up all of the adventures? All of the sites you saw that took your breath away? Even though every story starts with "When I was abroad...." it is simply not possible to explain and no description you give will do the last four months justice. Being home is wonderful and awful at the same time. You don't have to walk to the grocery store every day, but you'd do anything to be able to get the fresh fruits and vegetables from the market. You don't have to hang your laundry out to dry anymore, but you wouldn't mind wearing damp jeans if it meant you were headed out to explore your city. Suddenly you realize everything that you wished you could change about your host country while living there, you would not change at all.
Stage Two
Stage two comes after being home and being back in your real life routine. You find yourself thinking, "A month ago, I would've been drinking a glass of wine paired with the most delicious and beautiful pizza I've ever laid my eyes on," while staring at Ramen noodles. A sad reality is coming over you and it is hard to reason with. Where are the ancient buildings? Where is the hum of a language you're still trying to grasp? Where is Ryan Air so you can risk your life one more time? The fact that the answers are thousands of miles away is enough to make you want to cry. America just isn't as cool right now, and it is becoming easy to pick out things that you can't stand about it. Like the processed foods, the fast pace, the watery coffee, and the lack of bidets. You just want to go back.
Stage Three
The last stage is the stage that ex-study-abroaders live in for the rest of time until you get to return to the country and city that you fell in love with many, many months ago. Looking at photos of the places you traveled to makes your heart melt. Reflecting on your time abroad has become something you absolutely love to do, and running into anyone who can relate to your stories and nostalgia is still amazing. It feels like your time abroad was only a dream, but each memory is just as vivid as the time it was experienced. No matter the amount of time that passes, you will never forget the months that changed your life.
