Although most students are counting down the days until they leave for their study abroad adventure, I was completely dreading it. I started panicking about going abroad about a year before I actually left, but I convinced myself that, as a Spanish major, I had to do it. I was looking forward to the prospect of bettering my Spanish and living in a picturesque Spanish city, but I really had no desire to leave my family and comfortable daily routine.
As a kid, I never went to sleep away camps. Going to college an hour and a half away from my home was a traumatic experience to say the least. In my twenty years of life, the longest I had gone without seeing my family was probably three weeks. Moreover, I tend to have a very strict daily routine; it’s just my personality. So, when it came time to get myself on a plain to Madrid with a bunch of people I didn’t know, going to a city I’d never been to, and living with a host mom I’d never met, to say I was freaking out is an understatement.
Ultimately, I made friends. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t talk to my parents every day. I got over feeling homesick. What I originally thought would be an agonizing transition period turned out to be relatively painless. My time abroad even helped me become much less of homebody – not that there was anything wrong with that, but living “on my own” thousands of miles away from my support system forced me to become much more independent and self-sufficient.
A few things that helped ease my adjustment were (1) realizing that much of my group was in the same boat. Nobody had friends yet. Almost everyone missed home. It’s alright to feel that way, but also realize that it DOES pass. (2) You are so busy (and jet lagged) at the beginning of your trip that you really don’t have time to feel homesick. My orientation week in Madrid was jam-packed with trips to the Prado, El Palacio Real, and welcome dinners, so I had little time to think about home.
Irrefutably the most valuable part of studying abroad in Granada for me was the personal growth and independence I gained. While I previously thought I had no businesses leaving home for 5 months, I came home with a heightened sense of autonomy. Although I’m back living an hour and a half from my family, I feel far more self-dependent. My family even jokes, “Hey, why don’t you come home anymore?!”
I have had countless conversations with friends who opted not to study abroad on account of not wanting to be away from home for so long. While I was very close to being one of those people, I cannot express how grateful I am that I chose to go despite feeling petrified. The personal revelations I had regarding just how capable I am were priceless, and I am completely indebted to the study abroad experience for helping me realize them. With that said, no matter how many people tell you it will be a positive experience and that you WILL survive, it is inarguably hard to put thoughts of homesickness aside. For me, I took experiencing and living it myself to understand. So, for any students that may be on the fence about studying abroad for fear of being away from home/family/friends for a significant amount of time, I highly encourage you to have a little faith in yourself and do it. You absolutely will not regret it and likely come out of it a much better version of yourself.