My Life Away From Home- A Guide To Studying Abroad

I want to start by saying I’ve been meaning to post this for almost a year! I’ve finally bit the bullet and looking back, I’m glad I held on to this post because it gave me time to think about what exactly I wanted to say!

If you’ve been on my blog before, you may know that from January until August in 2016 I lived, studied and did an internship abroad. I live in a small town in Essex, England and moved to a town outside of Atlanta, Georgia, USA! Living abroad was the scariest, yet most exciting thing I’ve ever done. It’s a fantastic experience that I think many people will benefit from. However, I wish that I had something like this to read before I moved so that I could have a little bit of background information on what to expect. So, although it’s been over eight months since I left America, lets get into it!

 

View from Skyline in Chicago, Illinois.

Moving to America was the most exciting, nerve wrecking and ultimately life-changing thing I've ever done. If you know me or have read previous posts on my blog, you'll know that I love to have everything planned and hate not knowing what’s going on or what’s going to happen. Finding it difficult to ‘go with the flow’ is somewhat a flaw of mine, so naturally when I found out I was awarded a place on my university’s study abroad programme, I was extremely nervous as well as excited. 

Living in America had always been a dream of mine, especially after I went on a college trip to Los Angeles back in 2014. So to get the chance to finally live, as well as study and work in the US, was an amazing opportunity that I knew would change my life. 

Although my time in America was amazing and I was always excited to go, I found myself wanting to ask many questions to know what to expect and calm any nerves, so I thought I would do that now!

Culture Shock

Of course, if you go to another country you will experience a whole new culture. I’m from England and moved to America, so there were similarities between the two countries, things like language, pop culture etc. This was almost a comfort for me, moving to another country is already daunting enough, so going somewhere that speaks a completely different language can be a potential element that makes you feel disconnected from home. However, I found that the difference in the cultures made my trip more fun. It was fascinating learning and experiencing new things and I remember many interesting conversations (with not only my American friends, but also my other international friends who were on exchange trips) about how different life in the US is compared to the UK and other countries. 

One thing that made a huge difference to my lifestyle in America compared to the UK was alcohol. In England, drinking culture plays a big part in the university lifestyle, we can drink when we turn 18, so there's nothing stopping university students going on a night out and drinking however much they want. In the US, you can't drink until you turn 21. I was 20 the whole time I was living in Georgia so of course, this was a little odd for me at times, especially on nights out! Before I moved, I was worried that my social life would suffer because of age restrictions, some clubs were strictly 21 and overs, and the thought of going on a night out completely sober didn't sound appealing to me (I'm really not into clubbing so like to have at least a few shots on my side if I'm out!). While sometimes I did see being a 'minor' as a disadvantage, I still managed to find ways to have fun and avoided hangovers every week!  

Adapting to a different culture is so much fun, although it can definitely take some adjusting, but overall I found it one of the most ground breaking parts of my time living abroad.

Austin Residence Campus- the place I called home while I lived in Kennesaw, Georgia. 

Studying

One thing I (and many other of the exchange students) noticed was that education in America was completely different to education back at home. The course I study at home only has one exam throughout the whole three years, whereas in America, I felt that I was always studying for an exam. Midterms, finals, pop quizzes, the number of tests going on was definitely something that was different to the university style I knew.

A lot of the exams I took in the US were multiple choice, very different to what I knew from back at home. Lessons were completely different in my university in America to my lessons back in the UK, I felt that my course in England is much more hands on compared to the heavily theory based classes I took in America. Adjusting to the studying side of things was a bit of a shock purely because of how different the style of teaching was. I found personally that my lessons back in the UK were more challenging, but my workload in the US was heavier. This of course depends on what university and country you go to, but I personally noticed a huge difference. 

Although this point isn't about studying, I think it's still worth mentioning as it shows a difference I saw in my English and American universities. Sports at my American university was valued so much more than what it is at my English university. I was in America for basketball season, which was so much fun because the atmosphere was incredible. This may just be a personal opinion, but university sports teams in America are taken far more seriously than they are back home and experiencing a game was amazing and something I wish I could have done more often. 

Exploring & Entertainment

As well as the country you live in, I think where exactly you are staying makes a huge difference in your studying/living abroad experience as well. For example, I lived in Kennesaw, a town about 30 minutes away from Atlanta. Luckily for me, Atlanta is a city that has a lot to offer. So, if I wanted something to do and didn’t mind spending money on an Uber, I had plenty of options for entertainment. 

Millennium Park, Chicago.

My advice when travelling anywhere is to explore the place you’re in, how can you fully experience your new home without seeing what there is to do there? Short answer- you can’t! Of course, each country is different, which means each country offers different experiences! Whenever I go to a new place I like to do something ‘stereotypical’ and see some of the most famous attractions in that area and soak up some culture. For example, if you visit England I recommend going to London and go sight seeing for the day, drink some tea, complain about the weather, tell some sarcastic jokes etc. Luckily for me, America is HUGE and each state offers something different.

Atlanta.

If you’re staying in America I would highly recommend visiting other states besides the one you are living in. I managed to go to visit Chicago and Chattanooga and personally thought Georgia, Illinois and Tennessee all offered something different. And although they were all so different, I loved them all! 

Exploring new places and making new memories is honestly one of the best parts about living and studying abroad, so I highly recommend trying to visit some new places and try new experiences. It will make your time away from home more memorable and exciting, but will also make you grow as a person.

Ruby Falls. Chattanooga,Tennessee.

Homesickness

Homesickness is something everyone worries about when moving/ travelling away from home. In all honesty, it probably (almost definitely) will happen at some point or another when you're away from home. It's very common that the first two months of your trip ("the honeymoon period") will be fine and you won't miss home at all, then the homesickness will hit you. It's also very common to start getting homesick around the halfway mark, even if you're having the best time! It's only natural to miss home and friends and family when you are away.

Before I left, homesickness was my biggest fear. I'm very close with my family and best friend and I think I was always subconsciously worried that I'd be lonely and miss everyone constantly. If you're worried about getting homesick, take this advice- it wont last forever! You may get homesick for a while and at times when you least expect it. Remember that living abroad is a fantastic experience, and you won't always feel homesick. 

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Try and find something that reminds you of home that will make you feel better. For me, I brought good luck cards from my family that were personalised with photos of all my family members, including pets! Little home comforts like those cards made me feel so much better and made me realise that an exchange trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I shouldn’t spend time missing home and getting upset. Close to where I lived, there was a little shop that specialised in British treats, chocolates, biscuits etc. Shops like this can be a lifesaver if you’re feeling homesick and miss home comforts. Out of everything in that shop I came out with OXO, the most random thing anyone could buy, but it reminded me of home and it was nice to be reminded of roast dinners on a Sunday!

The main thing to remember if you’re homesick is that this living/studying abroad is an incredible, once in a lifetime experience and you really should make the most of it.  Not everyone is lucky enough to experience living in another country and while homesickness can make you want to pack up your stuff and book the next flight home, things like social media and FaceTime make it easier to connect with loved ones. It’s almost as if you aren’t living on the other side of the world. While homesickness is awful, it shouldn’t be enough to make you want to miss out on an incredible and life changing opportunity. Saying that, it is of course completely normal and completely okay to miss home and get a little upset sometimes, it’s normal! 

Meeting New People & Making Friends

One thing that can have a big (maybe even the biggest) impact on your time abroad is the people you meet along the way. I’m quite a shy person and was worried about meeting new people in a new environment. But, if you think about it, you do that when you first start university anyway. Think of it as if you’re starting Fresher’s week all over again! Meeting new people, finding out where everyone is from, what they study, what their interests and hobbies are etc. Chances are, you won’t be the only one studying or living abroad and it’s easy to find other people in the same position as yourself. 

I made so many new friends since moving to America from all over the world and they have helped me make some of the best memories. It’s a bit like throwing yourself in the deep end, but once you settle in everything is a lot less scary. I was lucky in the sense that I went on this trip with other friends I already knew from my university. This allowed me to get even closer with friends I already had which is always nice. 

Some people I met while I was away are now lifelong friends and made my trip so special. I can’t imagine what my experience would've been like had I not met them. I have so many amazing memories with friends I made while living abroad, and they are some of my favourite memories of all time. When I think about what I miss the most about America, it’s definitely the friends I made and the people who helped make my time abroad so special.

Changing As A Person & Self-Growth

I’ll admit, I think that living abroad changed me. I’ve always said that going to university has made me grow up a lot and changed me in ways such as becoming more confident, picking up more life skills, becoming less shy etc. Turns out that moving abroad changed me even more! I think of what I was like before I moved to America and see changes in myself, some big, some little, but still changes nevertheless! 

I’ve already said that I’m a bit of a planning freak! By this I mean I like knowing what I’m doing and like being in charge of situations. I wouldn’t say that I’m now a brand new, spontaneous, carefree person, but I don’t feel the need to plan everything down to the last detail anymore. I think I like to plan things because I’m scared of something going wrong and a disaster striking, I’ve come to realise that I can’t always be in control, and I shouldn’t always want to be! Sometimes the best memories happen when you’re not sure what you’re going to do and you just do things instead of spending hours planning them. 

I personally believe I’ve changed so much since starting university nearly three years ago (where has the time gone?). But studying and living abroad forced me to change even more and for the better! I think I’ve become more independent and self –confident and less scared to do things. As cheesy and cringe as it may sound, I think having experiences like this makes you a more improved person rather than a changed person. 

Final Thoughts

Looking back, I can honestly say that my exchange trip is probably the one thing that’s had the biggest impact on my life. I was thrown into the deep end and because I spent those seven months away from home, it shaped me to be a better version of myself. Although it’s been months since I’ve moved back to England, I still hold America close to my heart. I always look through photos, my background for my phone and laptop are pictures from memories in America so I’m reminded of my journey every single day! 

I still talk to friends I made and I hope to see them all again one day soon. It’s times like this I look back and realise how lucky and thankful I am that I had this opportunity. I got to travel, see the world, take beautiful photos, achieve dreams and I even got the chance to work in the industry I‘ve wanted to work in for years! ! The internship alone gave me fantastic opportunities as well as some rather odd ones (being in the same room and photographing Donald Trump is one job I’ll never forget!).  

While it wasn’t always easy, it was a time in my life I will always remember and hold close to my heart. I loved my time there and I miss it every day.

Thank you for reading this post, I know that it’s a long one but I hope that if you’re reading this for advice you found some comfort in what I’ve said. I also just wanted a chance to reminisce and look back on all the incredible memories made. 

 

Until next time,

Becca x