Amanda Malvik: Blog Post #4

 Things I feared before study abroad and how they turned out: 

Making the decision to go abroad is a big decision. A very exciting decision, but also a scary one. The unknowns, of both the place and people can feel overwhelming. Before going abroad I tried to watch as many tik toks and talk to as many people as I could to ease some of my fears, but you truly never fully know until you start your program. 

One thing I will say is that studying abroad is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. My life is truly forever changed. With both the good and not-so-good aspects of study abroad. I feel as a society we over-romanticize study abroad. There are parts of study abroad where you feel like you’re on cloud nine, and then there’s times where you feel low. And that’s okay, that’s how life at home can be so why would it be different away from home? My advice would be to go in with a realistic view of your semester and not expect it to be sunshine and rainbows the entire time. You will be high on life but you also may be homesick at times. It’s about taking the good and bad at the same time. What’s life if we don’t feel and live through both? 

To get into the nitty gritty, let me address some of the things I feared before arriving here in Seville. 

1. What if I’m homesick the entire time? 

I’ve surprised myself with how little homesick I’ve been. Of course there’ve been moments when I had a bad day and all I want is a hug from my mom. However, I think not having that comfort has helped me grow in my independence as a young adult in a new country. These moments have been very sparse though. I think the reason for this is you don’t really have time to be homesick. If you travel during study abroad it’s a constant cycle of: school, booking trips, going on trips, repeat. It’s such an amazing life and way to live, but very busy. Also, I would say even if you are homesick you’re still getting so much more out of this experience than if you were at home. Grow in the ache and work on growing and blooming in your new found independence! 

2. Will the language barrier be too much for me to handle? 

If you go to a country where you don’t know the language, it can be overwhelming thinking about the barriers you may run into while your time abroad. Being in Sevilla, a lot of people only speak Spanish. I study Spanish, but it is not my first language so I definitely have struggled. You get used to it, and you find ways to get around it. The amount of times I’ve pulled up google translate at a front desk in a store is too many to count. Not to mention, you learn more about the language which is so cool, and eventually you will learn phrases and words to help you along! 

3. What if I feel out of place and not at home?

This is a very valid concern, and one that worried me. If you’re doing a full semester like me, four months is a long time to feel uncomfortable and not at home. It takes a while to adapt to the new speed of life of your host city, but you get used to it. It just takes time. I now can confidently say I feel very at home in my home city. When I travel on the weekends, even though I’m in cool places, I can’t wait to get back to Seville. I now call this place my second home, and I have so much love for Seville. 

Overall, studying abroad is the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced. However, there’s also low points of study abroad. My advice is to take everything as a learning opportunity and look at the positives. You will be okay, I promise!