August 8, 20266 minWhat do people get wrong about coming home from study abroad?
Reverse culture shock rarely looks the way people expect. Here are five common myths about coming home from study abroad, and what actually happens instead.
August 1, 20268 minHow to make local friends (not just other exchange students)
Social life and culture During an exchange semester, it is surprisingly easy to get caught inside the international bubble. Sharing trips with other exchange students is genuinely fun, but connecting with locals is what actually changes how you experience the place. Six ways to actually meet local students 1 Take the initiative Domestic students already […]
July 22, 202610 minThe 4 stages of culture shock and why knowing them changes everything
Culture shock Culture shock is not one single bad feeling that hits and fades. It moves through four fairly well documented stages, and knowing which stage you are in changes how you respond to it, because what fixes stage two can make stage three worse if you use it at the wrong time. This framework […]
July 8, 20269 minHow I actually budgeted a semester abroad without a spreadsheet meltdown
Budgeting I did not build a spreadsheet before I left, and I am not going to pretend I built one halfway through either. What I actually used was three habits and three numbers, and by the end of the semester I had spent almost exactly what I planned to, without ever opening Excel once. If […]
June 20, 20268 minWhy I almost gave up on journaling abroad after two weeks
Journaling and homesickness Somewhere in Lisbon, in my second week, I very nearly threw my journal in a drawer and did not touch it again. Not because I stopped caring about writing. Because writing had turned into the one part of my day that made the homesickness worse instead of better. The problem was not […]
June 3, 20267 min5 things I wish someone had told me before I studied abroad
Before you go I landed in Athens with two suitcases, a phone plan I did not understand, and a to do list I was convinced I would finish in a weekend. I did not. Almost three years later, here is the full list of what actually would have saved me time, money, and a few […]