7 Things To Do After Studying Abroad
Returning home from studying abroad can be a whole mess of emotions: happiness, sadness, and the desperate need to get your life back in order.
You’ve had the adventure of a lifetime … now what? Here’s some things to help you out.
7. Prepare for culture shock.
When you left, you knew you would feel the unease of a new place. But coming home? It’s supposed to feel all welcoming and familiar, right? Not quite. Sometimes, coming home culture shock is even worse because you’re largely unprepared for it.
You might find yourself using toilets incorrectly or getting in the wrong side of cars, but that’s normal. Just laugh at the little inconveniences and they’ll go away soon enough.
6. See friends and family (when ready).
Lots of people are going to be excited that you’re back which means lots of people will want to see you. Naturally, you’ll want to see them too. But don’t forget about yourself in doing so. It’s completely fine to take a day or two to recuperate and settle back in before seeing anyone.
It’s also likely that you imagine yourself spilling every detail of your trip to your friends while they intently listen. This won’t be the case. Oftentimes, you won’t know where to start and telling stories feels weird because they’ve never met any of your abroad friends. Don’t feel discouraged by this.
5. Meet with your adviser.
Again, I know. You may need to review what classes you took and what grades you received and your adviser can help with that. They’ll know who to email if things go awry, but don’t worry, it’ll be sorted out soon. Don’t forget that you probably need to enroll for the next semester too and they can help with that also.
These advisers have seen lots of kids leave and return from studying abroad so they probably know just what you’re going through. Don’t hesitate to talk to someone who understands.
4. Keep up with your abroad friends.
Just because you may have returned home doesn’t mean the friendship is over. Your bonds with the friends you make abroad can sometimes be even stronger than a normal friendship. Keep in touch via email, text, or Facebook and see how they’re doing. Let them know how you’re doing too in case you need someone to listen.
3. Sort through your things.
If you’re anything like me, you brought back hordes of ticket stubs, maps, and everything in between. It is best to organize all these so you know where to look for them in the future. Perhaps get a box, folder, or scrapbook to keep your memories in. This will be a great way to reminisce on all your memories and save them for the future.
2. Settle into a routine.
Eventually, school will start back up again. You might get a job or an internship. Soon, your life will play out in a normal routine. This doesn’t mean that you’ve reverted back into the person you were before going abroad, but simply that life goes on.
1. Start a new travel fund.
Now that you’ve made friends from all over the world, you have couches to stay on everywhere. Your travel list is ages long. It’s never too early to start another travel fund to go visit your old friends and maybe see some new places. Just because you’ve returned from studying abroad doesn’t mean your travel days are over!