Staying in the Moment

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy the comforts of home and familiarity. Before studying abroad, I had never been out of the country. For most people, their first time out of the country would not be for five straight months and 4,000 miles away. However, I had always dreamt about traveling the world since I was little.

I studied Sociology in Brighton, England for the entire spring semester. In preparation to leave for my study abroad experience, I had rose colored glasses of what my time would be like overseas. The initial culture shock was almost too much for me to bear when I first stepped onto English soil. No one had warned me of the small but very important differences in cultures before my experience abroad. Between the differences in food, everyday interactions, and classes I was completely overwhelmed in my first few weeks. At one point in time we all get a feeling of homesickness being away from what is familiar, whether it just be missing home cooked meals or friends. Eventually, I learned to adapt to my new surroundings and ultimately grew to love where I was at. The accessibility of facetime and texting eased all my feelings of homesickness. Even though I finally felt excited and comfortable where I was, homesickness comes in waves. No one discusses the highs and lows that come with studying abroad. For me, the lows were extremely low due to an increasing desire to be home and surrounded by familiar things. However, the highs were amazing and in those moments I never wanted to come home.

Every trip I went on, distracted me from thinking of home and brought me out of my comfort zone. In total I got to travel to France, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Greece, and Ireland.

Studying abroad challenged me to learn more about myself in so many different ways. I have learned to be more independent while also enjoying spending time by myself. After the homesickness started to subside, I realized the importance of staying in the moment and to take as many pictures as I can! Throughout my study abroad experience I got to take a trip to Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and Greece! If I had let the feelings of homesickness take over me, I would not have been able to enjoy my experience to the fullest extent. Remember that homesickness comes in waves for many people, to live in the moment, and take every opportunity at your fingertips.

Meet One of Our Study Abroad Peer Advisors: Jon Douglas

Hello! I’m Jon and I’m a peer advisor at the Study Abroad Office. I first traveled abroad to Hangzhou, China where I took intensive Mandarin courses. We were able to travel to Shanghai for a day and went to Chengdu where we spent a week learning about Chinese culture. I ate plenty of food that I would have never thought of eating in America. The foods include duck tongue, cow stomach, rabbit, cow tongue, pig blood, and a few others. They might sound bad, but they were actually pretty amazing. For videos I made in China checkout Youtube.com/thejondouglas.

After this amazing adventure I was able to be an Exchange Student in Brighton, England. Being able to live by the sea for a few months was so nice, especially after only living in Arkansas. The only bad thing was the seagulls that would wake me up every morning. They also like to steal food, so we didn’t get along. During my time in Europe I was able to travel to Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Bristol, Bath, and Oxford. Safe to say I saw more than I thought in the short period of time. Each location has its own culture which I loved. Especially the clothing and stores. You never know what you might experience when studying abroad because everyone is different. You should get out and see the world because the stories that you will tell will be amazing.

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Come meet Jon and the other peer advisors for a HogsAbroad 101 drop-in session at the Study Abroad House! Come to the office weekdays from 3-5 pm to get all the study abroad basics. Peer advisors are available to help you review your options for study abroad and start searching for a program.