Advice – Page 65 – DU Abroad

A few weeks ago was my birthday. Things were going wonderfully, and then I received this text from my friend:

“Happy birthday, my dearest! And to think we left Beijing one year ago today.”

I read it and was dumbstruck. I clearly remembered my birthday one year ago, when my friends and I caught a cab to the Beijing Capital International Airport. It was early, barely 6:30 am. I was ready to return to the U.S., but I also wanted more time in this historical yet modern city. Although I wasn’t flying directly home (there was a detour to Hong Kong), it was the day I left my school, program, and friends from abroad.

Only now, one year later, am I beginning to see how my study abroad affected me when I returned to the States. Initially, all I could comprehend were the immediate things—how clean Colorado’s air is, how much more natural it was to use chopsticks and how clunky silverware seemed. My first quarter back at DU was overwhelming; academics, work, and relationships were different than I expected. As weird as it may sound, I yearned to study Chinese all day and eat sumptuous Beijing cuisine. Yet I had to focus on my final year of undergrad in Denver. It was intense. Things that seemed trivial to me were actually part of a large readjustment process I didn’t realize was happening.

For example…when I initially started drinking coffee again it was like drinking an energy drink. Even coffee overwhelmed me! I mediated this by ordering a tea tumbler off Amazon so I could drink the loose-leaf tea I had brought back from China. Coffee gets me too caffeinated; I prefer to drink it slowly with friends now.

Also, there were many times post-China I felt silly or disjointed while speaking. I’d pause or not be able to describe something as prolifically as I wanted to—the Chinese word was more immediate to me than the English word. There were three distinct times when I forgot “student” in English. There are countless times when my tongue has been tied.

Ultimately, two things have helped me readjust post-study abroad: 1) getting a routine and 2) working on communication.

This quarter has been my most stable quarter since being back. My routine is also the most stable now since being back, and I love it. A stable routine is one of the most grounding things I have experienced post-study abroad. Also, communication may seem simple, but after returning from another culture, changes in communication styles is undoubtedly one of the most important things to pay attention to.

Not everything ends just because you and your friends are getting on different flights with different destinations, but change is inevitable. Perhaps you won’t notice the change right away. Still, I recommend focusing on communication and establishing a routine—especially if you are gone for a longer amount of time.

Michelle Yeager, Peer Advisor

As you are preparing for your time abroad, surely you are starting to think of some things you are nervous about. That’s definitely normal – even good. Your time abroad will bring brand new experiences for you, and some days will get tough.

That being said, there are a few things that are certain to make your time abroad the best it can be:

Don’t Freak Out When Things Go Wrong

One thing that we actually can guarantee you is that things will go wrong.

All. The. Time.

You are travelling to a new place, maybe many new places. You are going to be in a new city with a new culture. Many things about daily life will simply be different. When you are making plans to explore the city, plans for a weekend trip, anything you might want to do – remember that it may not end up going the way you planned. If you are a person who prefers to have every hour of your day planned out perfectly – get ready for a change. You might think you are going to the premier of a hot new movie – and it turns out to be in a tiny café that is impossible to find, screening an indie film against a brick wall with only 3 people watching. You might get lost on the way there and never make it. What’s the best way to cope with these situations?

We think you need to:

Laugh at Yourself

So what do you do when your plans get messed up, you get on the wrong bus and are hopelessly lost, anything or everything goes wrong during the course of the day? You just have to laugh at yourself. I didn’t make it through a single day abroad without messing at least one thing up. I once ordered carrot juice on accident because I didn’t know the Arabic word for carrot, I thought it was strawberry. I would get laughed at by cab drivers when my broken Arabic wasn’t quite good enough for the directions I needed to give. I would go to an event and not be able to catch a cab home to save my life.

The thing about being abroad is that you will stick out. You will be the different one in the crowd, no matter what. And when you aren’t familiar with the culture, the streets, the language, you will make mistakes. And that’s okay! Learning from your mistakes, and especially learning to laugh at them, is a part of the study abroad process. So try not to take yourself too seriously – it’s much more fun that way.

Say YES

This advice comes with an important caveat – only say yes to something if it is SAFE and LEGAL to do.

Now, saying yes is simply a suggestion to try new things, and make the most of different opportunities. At certain points, study abroad might be really really really hard. You might want to fall into a routine of things that are familiar – eat at McDonald’s more than is normal, or find a piece of home. We think this is a perfectly fine thing to do, as long as it doesn’t become your routine while abroad. Being in a new country is the perfect time to say YES to all sorts of different possibilities that come your way. Maybe a last second excursion, maybe a weekend trip, maybe a concert or festival happening. So once you get abroad, try to make the most of each opportunity you get!

Most of all, make sure to HAVE FUN.

Tiffany – Peer Advisor

Category: Advice

Readjusting Post-Study Abroad

Making the Best of Things Abroad