The most difficult part about being abroad, hands down, is leaving behind your life at home. It's a terrifying thought to pack your bags, say goodbye to your loved ones, and live the next few months with your base hundreds of miles across the Atlantic Ocean. There isn't a pause button to stop life in the U.S. as you travel to a new part of the world, and you hope that your relationships are strong enough to endure the next few months without your physical presence. Of course I was anxious about going to a new country by myself and having to navigate a new way of living, however, the re-entry part of my journey gave me the most anxiety. While I have studied abroad before, I was not too worried about my re-entry to the U.S. because my travel took place during the summer. This experience will be different because my travel took place during the academic year.
As reflect on my experiences abroad, I cannot help but wonder about life when I am back in the U.S. I learned very early on that everyone else's life does not stop because I am abroad, and this was evident in the stream of emails from my home institution and the Facebook statuses that appeared on my newsfeed. Within the span of nearly four months, there have been a roller coaster of changes and it was disheartening to not be able to witness these changes in person. I felt disconnected from my base at home and school, and it was a strange feeling. There was a sense of loss of time, and I couldn't do anything but keep in touch and enjoy my time in Spain. So....why study abroad? “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”― Terry Pratchett
Regardless of how much I wanted things to slow down and wait for me, I knew that the best part of life is that it keeps going. I wasn't losing time. I was experiencing time in a new surrounding with new people!If I were given the choice again to study abroad or remain in the States, I would not have changed my decision. Yes, I am still nervous about coming back home and re-learning a new routine. Even so, I am ready to embrace the changes that have occurred while I was away. I won't come back empty handed! Of course, I will come bearing gifts and stories of my journey. But most of all, I will come back as a more worldly and independent young woman. I hope the U.S. is ready because I am!
As reflect on my experiences abroad, I cannot help but wonder about life when I am back in the U.S. I learned very early on that everyone else's life does not stop because I am abroad, and this was evident in the stream of emails from my home institution and the Facebook statuses that appeared on my newsfeed. Within the span of nearly four months, there have been a roller coaster of changes and it was disheartening to not be able to witness these changes in person. I felt disconnected from my base at home and school, and it was a strange feeling. There was a sense of loss of time, and I couldn't do anything but keep in touch and enjoy my time in Spain. So....why study abroad? “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”― Terry Pratchett
Regardless of how much I wanted things to slow down and wait for me, I knew that the best part of life is that it keeps going. I wasn't losing time. I was experiencing time in a new surrounding with new people!If I were given the choice again to study abroad or remain in the States, I would not have changed my decision. Yes, I am still nervous about coming back home and re-learning a new routine. Even so, I am ready to embrace the changes that have occurred while I was away. I won't come back empty handed! Of course, I will come bearing gifts and stories of my journey. But most of all, I will come back as a more worldly and independent young woman. I hope the U.S. is ready because I am!
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