The Stuff Nobody Tells You About Studying Abroad

1. Some things will not go according to plan

You can’t find a place to live, your course isn’t as captivating as you thought it would be, you‘re struggling to make friends, the place you rented isn’t as nice as the pictures, the weather is a little too depressing, someone stole your phone… So many things can go wrong. But you’ve got to keep going.

2. You’ll have lonely days

Despite all the travelling, partying and exploring, you’ll have lonely days. It doesn’t only apply to those living by themselves. You could be entirely surrounded and still miss the comfort of your home, the smell of your sheets and the cosiness of your room.

Homesickness can hit you like a truck and it’ll take a few days to get over the feeling. It’s okay to feel this way. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your friends and family, they probably miss you too and will be happy to hear your voice.

3. Some of your relationships will improve with distance

Sometimes you love people deeply but in a clumsy way. Sometimes, it’s easier to love some people from afar.

Family bonds can greatly improve with distance. As time go by, you’ll miss your siblings and forget how annoying they are when they leave their plates in the sink. Your mom’s infuriating habits will be a joke you tell your new friends about. And when you get to see them, you’ll cherish your time together instead of focusing on their flaws. The same goes for friends.

4. Some will fizzle instead.

With time, you will lose touch with most of your friends. The people who were around you daily will slowly stop replying to your calls, forget to send you a birthday text and postpone catching up with you when you’re in town.

When you’re always travelling back and forth from one place to another, you barely get to catch up with your friends and often don’t have the time to create new memories with them. It’s tough but then, you will be able to see who your true friends are.

Additionally, going abroad and living in a whole new city by yourself will make you grow immensely. Consequently, you will outgrow some friendships. This will hurt. And that’s okay to mourn those friendships.

5. Culture shock is real

Even if you’re travelling to a country with a similar culture, you’ll have to push yourself out of your comfort zone every single day to adapt to a new place and culture.

6. You’ll learn a lot about yourself… and others

Being thrown in the wild without your mom to book your doctor's appointments will scare the shit of you. At first. Soon enough you’ll evaluate your ability to adjust to a foreign environment and ‘adult’ on your own.

During my time at uni, I learned how to prepare a viewing and what questions I should ask, I figured out how to plan out my bills and find an energy provider, how to fix a boiler and when to empty the water from the tumble dryer. I’ve learned so many skills that are essential to my survival and well-being that I’m surprised at how little I knew about myself beforehand.

In parallel, you will learn many things about the people surrounding you, especially if you live with housemates. Not everyone’s definition of ‘clean and quiet’ means the same thing, and some people will do anything to avoid dealing with the landlord.

7. You will learn how to be more vigilant and street smart

Your learning will be far bigger than what you are taught in the classroom. At home, you know your people and your streets. Where to go, and which part of town to avoid. Abroad, you can learn about sketchy places there’s always a difference between theoretical and practical knowledge.

Abroad you’ll have to be more vigilant about everything and it's quite exhausting in the beginning. There are many safety tips that I never even considered before moving abroad and it was a serious slap in the face when I realised how vulnerable I could be.

That being said, you cannot live in fear and in constant paranoia. You need to be careful, not locked in your room.

8. Nothing will ever be the same

What used to be home is no longer home. Home is nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Your friends have changed, you don’t know what’s going on in your local area and you those around you are using new slang words and expressions.

Life will be different and most importantly, you will be different. I had a friend shocked about how much she had changed in the past 3 years and I was like…Isn’t that the whole point? If you move abroad and don’t change, you’re probably doing something wrong.

So, stay true to yourself but also embrace the change. Great things need space to grow.

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Hi there, welcome back to Le Coin Des Coccinelles!

If you’re new here, this blog documents my life and how I’ve been navigating through my twenties. Here I’ve been documenting many of my adventures notably my life as an international student in the United Kingdom. This summer I graduated from Brighton University with my BA in English Literature & Media and after 3 incredible years in the south of England, I’ve decided to undertake a new challenge.

This year I’m taking you along as I move further up in the country and discover a new city. Indeed, I’ll be undertaking a master’s degree in Marketing at the University of Edinburgh.