It’s been almost two weeks since my time in Siena ended, and while I’m excited to be back home with my family and my cats, I’m starting to miss the life I had abroad. I was much more independent and was within walking distance of anything I could need, and I had friends with similar schedules that I could walk around, grab coffee, get dinner, and go shopping with. On our last day in Siena, my friends Madelyn, Elke, and I went shopping for all of the Siena merch and gifts we could need.

“Why would you want to study abroad? You are already studying abroad!”—is the response I was met with from several Pakistani friends and relatives when I shared the news that I’d be spending the Fall of 2024 with IES Abroad Vienna. Truth be told, my loved ones were right! As an international student studying in the U.S., I had to deal with the culture shock of moving to the South of the U.S., pack up the entirety of my life in two suitcases, and start fresh in a new continent.

After waking up every day to a stunning view of Sydney, crafting a daily routine for myself while working in the city, and making new friends, my time abroad had ended. Before going abroad, I remember panicking to my mom about how I would survive, or if I would be any good at my internship. I had never traveled this far of a distance by myself before, and I was entering a new era of unknown possibilities, which frightened me because I had no idea what to expect.