Advice – Page 20 – DU Abroad

There is a lot to love about being abroad and living a whole new life in another country. However, that does not mean there aren’t negatives. I am currently in the last few weeks of my program before I am to return to the U.S. and I have learned a lot. There are plenty of times where I got really homesick and needed to call my mom and have her send pictures of both herself and my dog. I will say that there is no real way to prepare yourself for the homesickness you feel when abroad because it can and will hit whenever and wherever. When those moments hit, it is important to put your mind on something else. For example, this current week there are a bunch of tests and quizzes going on for my classes and that is making me miss home quite a bit because normally whenever I have a stressful test or something I would go home for a bit and spend some time with my mom and dog. However, now that I cannot rely on them to help me, I am needing to learn how to deal with my stress in other ways. One way is that the program that I am in has scheduled things for us to do and things to go. I will get into this program more in another post but last night, there was a musical performance of The Sound of Music. This musical was based on the movie that was based off the real life events of the family that occured here in Austria. I decided to go to this performance even though it was right in the middle two of my bigger tests but I decided that taking a break would be for the best and when would I see this life performance again? I am very glad that I went because it did give me a break from studying. One thing that I have learned while being abroad is that while working hard is important, it’s not the only thing in life and that you just have to enjoy the time you have. I can’t believe that I only have four weeks left here in Austria before I will be making my way back to Denver.

It is completely normal to have moments of sadness and anxiety while being abroad I have had those moments and I know that my friends have had those moments as well. Stress plays a part in that aspect as well and yes it is normal but no it’s not normal for those feelings to take over your life. I think this image portrays what I am trying to say perfectly. There are grey skies covering the sky but down below, where you are there is still beauty to be seen and those grey rainy clouds shouldn’t be what you focus on. Just try to stay in the moment because in the end, it will all be worth it if you are truly able to engage in your life abroad and live with the locals and with your friends.

My sixth week in San José is coming to an end, meaning that my time here is halfway up. It’s bittersweet to grapple with my simultaneous homesickness and the sense of comfortable normalcy my life here now holds.

“Ay, el tiempo pasa muy rápido,” my host mom says nearly every week as she realizes how long we’ve already been staying with her. I feel the urge to tick as many things as possible off an unwritten bucket list but I try to remind myself that every moment here is valuable, whether I’m on the beach in one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful spots or simply sitting with my friends at school, drinking coffee and studying, as I’m doing right now.

As I reflect on the last six weeks, here is what I’ve learned so far:

Look up. When I go to Thursday night dance classes on campus, I’m always reminded to take my eyes off my own feet and look at my partner’s face. Dancing salsa comes a little easier when you’re focused more on moving together with the music rather than not tripping. This is a good tip for hiking, too. Costa Rica is famous for its dense rainforests – meaning that animal species here are usually high above your head in the canopy. Ironically, its hard not to trip over your own feet or a tree root when you’re walking through the jungle trying to spy a sloth, but it’s well worth it if you do see one.

Sloth we spotted at Cahuita National Park.

Let go of some of the things you usually rely on as part of your routine. I love a scalding hot shower at home, but that’s rarely an option here. I’ve learned to accept tepid but not freezing. Costa Ricans are also not fond of iced coffee – it’s not Europe, so it can be found in some more Westernized restaurants, but seven times out of ten you’re going to have to settle for a steaming hot mug. Ticos don’t throw ice into everything like we do in the States.

Don’t be hard on yourself when learning a language. This one is much easier said than done, but as a perfectionist I truly had to learn this the hard way. I’ve gone many times with my mouth shut rather than attempt to say something I fear will be conjugated incorrectly, or that I lack the vocabulary for. Not anymore – I try to start speaking first and figure out the rest later. It helps that here I often don’t have the option to speak English or to not speak at all, especially when trying to order food or get around the city.

Learn to be okay spending some time alone. This one is from my friend Krissy, who doesn’t have a housemate at her homestay, but I think it’s applicable more generally. Living in another country requires a certain level of independence and resourcefulness that can be uncomfortable at times. Everything is unfamiliar here at first – even just figuring out where to buy soap can be a thousand times more complicated than it is at home. You need to navigate language barriers and differences in cultural norms, and oftentimes you learn by trial and error, and often you navigate those learning experiences by yourself. However, I will say that I love my community of friends here and I’m never truly alone.

I’m not trying to impart any life-changing realizations here, but I do feel like I could tell my pre-study-abroad self some things I didn’t know before I got on the plane. Everything feels a little higgledy-piggledy here at times and it feels good to remind myself that every day I’m doing hard things, and succeeding.

Category: Advice

Abroad Blues and Stress

Halfway