- How to be okay with being alone
- You’ll eat alone, figure things out alone, explore cities alone, and over time, you realize it’s not scary anymore. Being alone doesn’t mean being lonely; sometimes it just means being present. This was a significant milestone for me, and it helped me learn how to appreciate spending time alone.
- You don’t need to have everything figured out
- Everyone looks like they know what they’re doing, but truthfully, most people are just improvising. You learn to trust that things will fall into place, even if the plan changes five times. So many times, I had planned to go to one place and ended up going somewhere else at the last minute, but each adventure was completely worth it. Learn to roll and embrace the unexpected.
- Small wins matter more than you expect
- Getting your SIM card to work, finding a go-to grocery store, cooking a proper meal after a long day, these moments feel tiny, but when you’re abroad, they’re milestones. I remember my last trip to Neeto and Edek, I realized how much these grocery stores helped me fit in and feel integrated. I created new routines and could fly through the checkout, even though when I first got to Germany, I refused to do the self-checkout just because I was scared.
- You start becoming more like yourself
- When you’re far from everything familiar, you stop performing old routines. You start asking what you actually enjoy, and who you want to be. There is a freedom in that. I went to a jazz bar, tried new foods, and let go of my fears, and did karaoke in front of a crowd.
- Missing people Doesn’t disappear but you learn to live with it
- It’s not about “getting over” it. You just carry it better. The ache doesn’t go away, but it softens. You find new ways to feel close, even when you’re thousands of miles away.
- You adapt faster than you think you will
- One day, you’ll realize that you’ve stopped worrying about a lot of things that you used to be overwhelmed by. The U-bahn was intimidating at first, but if you are anything like me, once you get lost a couple of times, the fear goes away and you learn the system pretty quick! Look forward to that because it doesn’t come as a big moment. One day, you go somewhere and realize you didn’t need directions, or you knew exactly where to go and can handle so much more.
- You learn to celebrate differently
- I experienced birthdays over FaceTime, and a group of us hosted our own picnic to celebrate the Fourth of July. These are wins that only you will fully understand. You start finding joy in places that used to feel empty.
- You become quietly more grateful
- It is such a privilege to be able to travel and study abroad. I really encourage you to recognize that. Be grateful for the good conversations, for being able to call your friends and family, and even for a day of sunshine. A sunny day was a miracle to my study abroad group because although they claim it doesn’t rain much in Berlin in July, every other day was rainy, and looking back, I can not help but laugh. You start to develop a kind of gratitude that sneaks up on you when you least expect it.
- You realize you can always start over
- A new city, a new group of friends, a new routine, moving abroad teaches you that nothing is permanent and that starting again doesn’t mean failing…it means choosing yourself. I graduate next April, and I have no idea what I want to do next. The idea of moving out of PA was scary, but now I know if I choose to do it, I can do it successfully. Do not be afraid to put youself out there.
