How Studying Abroad Changed My Life

Having studied in two different countries, I can safely say that learning, working, and living abroad is one of the most valuable experiences I’ve ever had. When you spend your whole life in one place, the world can start to feel small and cramped.

I am extremely lucky to have been able to go out into the world on my own to experience new cultures and meet new people. Through my travels to England and Czechia, I learned that studying abroad is as rewarding as it is trying. Once you find a way to balance the academics with the adventures, you’ll be in great shape.

Czechia

Before I made my decision to venture off to Prague for my first month of studying abroad, I was terrified. A week before I was due to leave, I woke up with a cough and cried to my mother. I worried that I wouldn’t be allowed on the plane if I had a cold (the pandemic really did a number on me). I had never been out of the country by myself before. My mom, my favorite travel companion, had always been with me. This time around, I would have to be my own guide.

Traveling to Prague

Since I would only be away for a month, I decided to only bring a large travel backpack and a smaller bag to put under my plane seat (Be sure you don’t forget your essentials!). Although I did end up buying another suitcase at the end of my trip (shopping in Prague is no joke), bringing as few bags with you as possible is key. Once I got to the airport, I hoisted my massive bag onto my back and hugged my mom goodbye. It was hard knowing that I wouldn’t see her for a while, but I knew I had an amazing trip ahead of me.

After I stepped off my connecting flight from Zurich to Prague, I got a taxi into the city. I was way too tired to try to figure out how to use public transit in this new place. As we drove towards the city center, the architecture turned from modern to semi-gothic to something out of a fairytale. Each building was a different color, painted with gentle pastel hues. Coffee shops and bars grew from their bases and stretched upward into apartment buildings with carved statues adorning them. I wanted to see and try all that I possibly could, and I only had a month to do so.

Studying Kafka and Keeping Up With Work

I took one class taught by two professors from my college, focused on the work of Czech author Franz Kafka. The entire program was centered around his work and writing process, so we spent those thirty days vigorously studying his stories and diaries. We all kept dream journals and would attend class twice a week to share new findings and interpretations. We read numerous short stories and journal entries Kafka had written in his life. Simultaneously, we learned about his life by visiting places in Prague where he worked, lived, and wrote.

This course and the material we studied combined my three favorite things: travel, history, and literary interpretation. It was amazing, but keeping up with my studies online was a bit of a hassle. In order to qualify for financial aid, I registered as a full-time student at my school back home. This meant that along with the class I took in person in Prague, I was simultaneously taking three other asynchronous classes online.

In the whirlwind of excitement of my new life in the Czech Republic and all of the exploring I did, I fell behind in my virtual classes and had a difficult time cleaning up my grades before the summer ended. I regret being careless with these classes and will give this advice to anyone who normally struggles with procrastination and distraction from work: it’s so much worse when you’re in a cool, new place. Stay on top of things, and your life will be a whole lot easier.

Discovering A New Culture

Adjusting to the Czech culture was a little tricky, but not as difficult as I thought it would be. Before I left Chicago, I taught myself some simple Czech phrases and learned about Czech societal norms. One of the biggest culture shocks was how Czech people are way less smiley than Americans.

I remember going to a coffee shop near our dorm building and being gawked at like I was crazy by the barista taking my order. When I came in and asked how they were, I gave them a big smile. As soon as they gave me the look that they did, I realized that being overly friendly was not customary there.

From my experience interacting with the people of Czechia, I learned that they are very blunt and straightforward. They don’t butter people up like we do in the States, and I learned to love this trait. Everyone I met there was extremely kind, but their demeanors didn’t have that fake, plastic feel that American personalities do.

Connecting Across the Sea

I wasn’t completely alone in experiencing these culture shocks, though. I had about fifteen other Americans from my college with me. Together, we faced this new environment and made some incredible memories. On big class outings and side trips, we made our way through museums, bars, pubs, clubs, and everything in between.

We would all walk to class together, trekking up the huge hill to the Vysehrad fortress, where we came together twice a week to share our writing and analyze what we’d read for that week. We would go to the book bar down the street and take advantage of our newfound ability to drink legally and not worry about getting asked for our IDs. Seven of us even took a four-hour bus from Prague to Dresden, Germany, for a weekend, planning the whole thing over a couple of pints and leaving the next morning. We all knew that we needed to soak in as much as we could before our time there was up.

One of the most important things I learned from my month in Czechia is that the best things in life happen on a whim. They come out of nowhere and stop you dead in your tracks, forcing you to stop and take a look around. Taking advantage of every opportunity that arises is an essential part of studying abroad. Your time in the country you’re in is limited, so you need to make the most of it in every way possible.

England

After successfully navigating Czechia by myself for a month, I decided it was time to tackle an entire semester. When I was browsing the program options through my college, I landed on Bath for a few reasons. It is a place that I was already a bit familiar with, as I had been there before on a day trip from London back in 2022. I also felt a certain connection with England. My mother studied there when she was my age and always seemed to look back on it with such fondness and gratitude. She had loved her experience there so much, so I decided that I would go over there and try it out for myself.

Traveling and Adapting

One of the big things about studying abroad that isn’t often spoken about is how easy it can be to adjust to a new environment, no matter how long you plan on being there. Everything happens so quickly that you barely have time to sit down and be alone with yourself. Those who organize these programs make sure that you always have something to do and look forward to.

When I studied in Prague, I made a new home in one of the largest cities in Eastern Europe. There was always something happening or somewhere to go. England was a huge step in the opposite direction. For those who have been, you know that Bath is more like a big town rather than a city.

Everything is so quaint, from the Georgian townhouses to the tiny little side streets and the pubs lining them. The campus at Bath Spa University was about a twenty-minute bus ride from the city center. I was living right in the middle of the English countryside, being startled awake by mooing cows from nearby farms every morning.

This was a massive change for me, having spent most of my life living in a huge city, but not an unwelcome one. I grew to love my new surroundings and take advantage of the peace while I could.

Making Friends

In our campus flat, ten people were divided into ten bedrooms on three floors. Five of us were international students, and the other five were English students. The night that they had gotten back, I heard a bunch of different voices down in the kitchen.

I decided to go down and introduce myself. The moment I walked in, I was overwhelmed with greetings and questions from all of the English students. Though only five of them actually lived there, there were seven more people in their friend group who were (almost) always there. That night, we all had drinks and played a party game. I felt at home for the first time since I had left Chicago.

For the next few months, I became their “token American” and made friends with everyone quickly. They invited me to go clubbing, have a pint at some pub or another, and go on a million other “side quests” with them. Most nights, we would just sit together in our kitchen and joke around. Not everything had to be an intense, exciting adventure. Having a big group of friends in a new place was comforting, to say the least. I’m incredibly grateful to them for accepting me and helping me settle into my new home.

Attending Bath Spa University

I took three courses at Bath Spa University: two about history and one about creating a professional writing portfolio. I went from having one class two-day a week in Prague to having four-day weeks in Bath. This four-day school week felt more normal for me since it’s the schedule I follow while I’m back at home. This helped me settle into my routine in Bath and made adjusting to my new classes a little easier. Each course I took was extremely interesting, and all of my professors were very accommodating and supportive of me. I even took trips into town to visit historical sites like the Bath Assembly Rooms with my history course.

In Bath, I felt more relaxed than I had been in Prague and still made so many amazing memories. I ended up hopping to five other countries by myself while I was in Europe, four of which I had never been to before. Not feeling like I had to push myself to the limit in order to make the most of my time abroad was incredibly relieving. Though the pressure of a shorter time limit can push you to see and do more, it’s nice to rest and take your time exploring a new place. The biggest piece of advice I would give to anyone spending a semester in a new country is to make as many friends as possible. Having a network of people to lean on will make your life abroad easier and so much more fun.

Deciding to Study Abroad

Studying abroad isn’t always a carefree, fun adventure (though it mostly is). It is difficult to conquer all of the obstacles that get tossed your way. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I definitely had a lot of tough moments on both of these trips. Packing up and leaving home is hard. Leaving your family and friends behind is even harder. Trying to battle that aching feeling of having your home halfway across the world is hard to deal with. However, despite every issue that I faced while studying abroad, I was able to face and overcome them with bravery. It takes immense courage to travel and study abroad, but if I could do it, then you absolutely could.