The Emotions of Studying Abroad

You will land in your chosen study abroad country and you will feel so many emotions. I felt excitement, nervousness, but overall I felt just a real thrill and proudness in myself that I was really doing it. I was really in Milan, Italy. Everyone talks about homesickness, saying goodbye to your friends and family from your home school or your hometown, but I had never even considered how sad it would be to say goodbye to the people I had met in Milan. While being here in Milan, I have experienced so many emotions that I had never heard anyone I know who has studied abroad talk about. 

I like to be prepared for the new adventures I throw myself into. When I did an archaeological research internship in Turkey, I was severely underprepared for how physically taxing the experience would be. For Milan, I was not prepared for the variety of emotions I would feel while here. 

In the beginning, I felt so proud of myself and so in awe of everything and everyone around me. That feeling wears off when you spend three months living in a foreign country. I really did not expect myself to feel homesick, as I have spent long periods of time away from home before and it did not phase me as much as Italy did. When I did start to feel homesick, I was surprised how caught up I would get on the small things that I missed, such as having access to ranch and being able to drive myself. I would miss small things like these so much, but I also felt a sort of guilt in being homesick because I was mislabeling this normal experience as being ungrateful for my study abroad experience. 

Now, with only a few days left in Milan, I am experiencing a whole different array of emotions.  Keep seeing TikToks and Instagram Reels about how the worst week college students experience is the last week of study abroad. Truthfully, I disagree. I’ve had finals weeks much worse than this week, but I understand the range of emotions that those social media posts are referencing. I have simultaneously felt so excited to go home soon, like I haven’t lived it up in Milan as much as I could’ve, like I have done everything there is to do, and so sad to leave the friends that I have made here. 

I know it is so cheesy and it is what everyone says, but studying abroad has been one of the most amazing and privileged experiences of my life. I am truly so proud of myself for doing this, and so thankful for the opportunity to do so. I’ve felt elated to be here, I’ve felt ready to go home, and I’ve felt every emotion in between. No one can prepare you for how your personal study abroad experience goes, but I think it is true for everyone that it is a whirlwind of emotions. I’ve never heard this aspect of study abroad be touched on, but it is a blessing to be able to experience so much and to experience it while I studied in Milan and traveled to other countries in Europe.