Preparing to Leave: What You Can and Cannot Do

Preparing to leave your study abroad location is possibly one of the easiest and hardest things you’ll find you have to do during your program. By the time things are said and done, you will most likely to be longing to see your family, hang out with your dog or cat, and just generally settle down from the sensory overload you’ve been experiencing. However, the fact that you will be leaving all the new relationships you’ve forged over your time abroad will be in the back of your mind, so be prepared!

It’s impossible to not feel sad when leaving the place you’ve been living in and loving, and it’s also impossible to leave all the new friends you’ve made abroad without having a heavy heart. So, before you have to hop on the plane out, make sure you spend as much time with everyone as possible. Surely, finals will be weighing on you, essays will try to keep you in your room, and projects will try to keep you up all night. However, the importance of those pale in comparison to the friends you will make abroad, and the time that they deserve from you. If you put in a good amount of work over the course of the semester abroad, you will be able to rest in knowing that you’re well prepared for whatever final schoolwork faces you. So, as one of my program mates so eloquently put it, “You can sleep when you’re home! This is your last week, and you’re in one of the most fun places on Earth. Spend time with people, not your computer, not your dictionaries, not your room, just be with us!”

Granted, you may need a little sleep here and there, so I’ll support you in doing that. But don’t regret anything when your plane finally lifts off the ground on its way back to your home. Respect the relationships you’ve forged, and work on solidifying those. The future is full of unknowns, but at least you can control the time you have now. Keep that in mind!