Likkke…. Don’t do it?
Listen & Read:
Rose-Colored Boy by Paramore
Don’t Wanna Fall in Love by KYLE
Nostalgia by Nao
All from my experience and my point of view.
- Actual racism of all kinds. I mean, what’s new. Did I really expect total decency in the land of colonizers? Yes. That was dumb on my part. Racism and anti-blackness is everywhere, and I was booboo the fool foolish to think that I would be getting any sort of break or vacation just because I’m in a new place. If you’re white and the way of the world right now doesn’t really bother you, Europe is great. Frankly, everywhere would be great for you, I guess, thanks to your white priviledge. Literally everyone else, just be aware of it. Some Europeans, and people who came from other countries to study abroad with me, saw me, a female Black American, as a junk yard to dump their racial troubles/conversations/issues/racist tendencies on. I guess they hoped that I would reassure them that they aren’t in fact racist (when they… literally are the exact definition)
or because race never comes up in their all white group of friends so it seemed obvious that it would come up for me so why not confront me with your nonsense. Also, America is so loud and determined when discussing race. Europeans, are just not. They seem to be more sweeping it all under the rug while America is snatching out from under that rug and throwing it against the wall. That does not mean that I would want to talk to you about why you think the n-word is ok for everyone to say. It simply does not equate. - English is such a common language. If you try to practice their language, and they see you struggling, they will (if they can speak English) 99% of the time just start talking to you in English. This ends you trying to better your language skills. I’m not sure if they just don’t have time to work and wait with you or if they think they are helping (which sometimes, tourists don’t want to learn the language, they just want to get around), but it makes it very hard to gain better knowledge in speaking and listening. The solution to this is to just tell them that you are trying to learn their language, but I was too afraid to do that. I didn’t want to seem rude, and I didn’t want them to feel like I just randomly hired them as my teachers for free!
- Business and International Relations.
These two majors, for the most part, are great majors to have when studying abroad in Europe (also art, but only in specific places like France and Italy). Anything else… you should probably research special places for that. I simply wanted to live out my dream of the 48 hours I spent in Switzerland four years ago. I did not think about how their art history department is extremely small with only 2 small museums nearby. That was a big mistake. - Extroverted Type. If you are extroverted, Europe may be a hard place for you (for the most part). In contrast to America, people don’t just hug you as a greeting to a stranger. They don’t ask about your life if they don’t actually care. They don’t smile at you when they don’t know you as you pass by. Unless you, if you are an extrovert, find a group of also extroverted people within your study abroad program, people on the streets will not likely want to just be your friend. When they are drunk… that’s a completely different story.
- Keeping your figure. Europe (and studying abroad in general) is not the place for you if you want to maintain whatever weight or look you want. Everyone that I have talked to that study abroad gained a little weight. There was a post on Facebook going around that said ‘Before Studying Abroad vs. After Studying Abroad’. On the left was a stick figure, on the right was literally just a circle. It could be the mix of the fact that the culture’s food may be different to what you are used to, so you are trying to figure out your diet, and also the fact that you’re kinda… sad. Even if study abroad is good for you, there is always a part of you that misses something from home. Comfort food if perfect for that! Alternatively, I also have known people that lost an extreme (and probably unhealthy) amount of weight. They didn’t do it on purpose. It was the fact that they physically looked vastly different from the general population of where they were staying; they didn’t like all of the stares all of the time. So, they stayed in their room a lot, and missed meals. Either way, your weight will likely fluctuate.
- Being Broad Minded. If you, reading this right now, want to study abroad, or back pack around, or get a job in Europe (or anywhere that is different than your home/culture), do not study abroad if you don’t want your view to change. It’s very scary changing your stances on things. It’s just weird to know that like you are literally changing and your mind is morphing maybe faster than you can keep up with. Studying abroad allows you to be comple
tely on your own, among people from all over the world, but also all in the same, different setting. If you like who you are right now and are fearful of change, studying abroad just is not for you. If anyone tells you that they think they are the exact same person the day they landed in their host country versus the day they took off back to their home country, they are literally lying and not telling the truth. Even though I wouldn’t rank my experience as the best or something that I could say I was happy majority of the time, there is an extreme beauty in being open to allowing yourself to change (mentally and physically, as seen from #5).
There we have it. two more installments left that are less intense. I hope you enjoyed it anyway though, and you learned something if you want to study abroad.
See you next time,
Kennedy 
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