Readjusting after spending a year abroad
Anyone who has studied abroad knows that traveling back to campus carries with it a mixed bag of emotions. This is my first semester back at Saint Joseph’s University after a year studying at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, and I’m currently navigating the challenges and rewards of reentering life at St. Joe’s.
On the one hand, I already miss both the locations and the friends I made while abroad; on the other, I am excited to see the places and people I missed while away. These conflicting feelings make coming back to campus confusing, and while I believe others who have studied abroad would agree with this, I can speak only for myself about why I’m happy to be back, what I already miss from Saint Andrews and why I’m glad I studied abroad.
It sounds sappy, but what I missed the most while abroad were my friends from home. Not being able to see them and a serious fear of missing out on a year of school with them by my side were on my mind the entirety of my year abroad. From well-established friendships to relationships that were just starting, I was worried about what was going to happen while I was away, what new experiences I would be missing—and perhaps most pressing—what to do about my friends that were graduating St. Joe’s.
Since returning, I’ve had a fantastic time reconnecting with my friends. Although I know I’ve missed out on adventures and opportunities, I am that much more excited about the experiences this upcoming year will bring.
Beyond that, I’m looking forward to being back in a country that is excited about food. No disrespect to my British friends, but I didn’t find any place in the U.K. with as great of a food scene as Philadelphia. While I did come to love haggis, I can’t wait to finally go to dinner in the city again.
Coming back isn’t all optimistic, though. There are obviously parts of my time abroad I’m going to miss. Chief among them, no surprise, are the friends I made. I don’t think I need to explain how close friends can become in just a year, and it’s difficult not going back to them.
More challenging still is not knowing exactly when I’ll get to see them again, but I am comforted by knowing that I now have friends from California to Maine, and Glasgow to Mumbai. Along with that, I will miss the immense level of diversity at Saint Andrews. Students came from all over the world, which dramatically improved discussions in the classroom.
I am excited to be back, although it does come with a certain degree of sadness and confusion. Studying abroad was one of the most influential things I’ve ever done, not necessarily because of the specific places I went to or the activities I did, but because it helped me better understand how truly important the people in my life are to me.
Whether they are my friends from St. Joe’s or St. A’s, they are what I missed the most about being abroad and what I will miss the most about coming back. Ultimately, though, the place is arbitrary. Philadelphia and Scotland are just mediums through which those strong relationships are formed and cherished.