Life abroad at first was an incredible adjustment. I was homesick almost immediately.
By the end of January, I was counting down the days until I could finally go home. I felt uncomfortable in my room and felt uncomfortable in the city. This was the first time I was away from home for more than a month, and I felt as though the 5 months stretched out ahead of me endlessly. I was determined to make the most of it, though. In the first month, I planned a trip to Barcelona in the hopes of improving my attitude about my study abroad experience. I had so much fun in Barcelona, but was dreading coming back to London instead of New Jersey. I wasn't interested in my classes or the people around me. I found it hard to make friends even though I tried my hardest and was outgoing. The transition from America to the United Kingdom was not seamless or easy.
Slowly but surely, though, I began to come out of my shell. I stopped caring what people thought of me and focused on doing the things that made me happy. I truly opened myself to new experiences and everything that London had to offer. Once I started doing that, things began to fall into place. I became closer with my roommates. I began to go out in London more and take more trips to all of Europe. Now that I am four months in with less than a month left, I am in no way ready to leave. Studying abroad has changed me in ways that I'm not ready to give up. I'm not ready!
So. The moral of this post is: be open to new things! Say no to very little. Take it all in! Studying abroad will change you for the better.