A rocky start...

It's been almost 3 weeks since we landed at Schipol at 5 in the morning, and honestly, it's been rough (for me at least). 

I've had this dream of studying abroad in my head for literal years. I knew I wanted to do it since I was about 7 years old. Before I left, I thought about how this experience will teach me important lessons and that I'll come out on the other end a changed person - like something will click and everything will fall into place. Now, I'm not trying to deter anyone from spending a semester abroad, and I certainly do not regret my decision, but there's two sides to this experience, and I wanted to share both of them. 

Obviously I knew the culture shock would affect me, but I didn't think it would affect me to this degree. Everything around me was - and still is - unfamiliar and new. I won't go into full detail, but I will say that I experienced daily obstacles that frustrated me and unknowingly made me homesick. 

I attended an introduction presentation my university hosted, and the speaker talked about the phases of culture shock. She showed a graph identical to the one below. She explained that when you first arrive in a new place, you have a honeymoon stage. Then the culture shock hits and you become frustrated and possibly long for the familiarity of your home country. But eventually, you adapt and you start to live like a local. 

As I write this post four days away from the 3-week mark, I'm starting to recover. Again, I write this with no intent to scare anyone or sound like a debby downer. 

I had a rocky start, but I regret nothing. 

...AND I'm finally starting to feel at home. 

I just wanted to share my experience because I know at least one person is also experiencing this to some degree. It's normal. Most people show only the highlights of these trips, but I wanted to let you know that you are not the only one who feels these emotions too. 

I can't wait to share more about my experience on this blog! And don't worry, my other posts will be more upbeat. I just wanted to set the precedent that it's ok to talk about the good AND the bad of studying abroad. 

If you read this far, thanks! xx