The Do-Not's of Study Abroad

It’s been an entire year since I took flight to study abroad in Galway, Ireland, 所以我猜你会说我很怀旧(还有点想家), 因为我留下的朋友和地方以及我现在珍惜的回忆). 这也意味着新的学生群体正在开始他们的海外之旅.

我在国外度过了一段美好的时光，我仍然与我遇到的人保持联系. And while I don’t have any massive regrets, 我建议那些即将着陆并开始新生活的人——不管接下来有多少个月——考虑一下我学到的这些教训. 虽然你想做所有的事情，但还是有一些事情我建议你不要做.

1. Do not wait until later to cross off your to-do list.

Being a night owl is a part of my image. 在我无数个晚上在凌晨2点翻阅体面的诗歌和散文的过程中，我发现了这一点.m. I am most productive at nighttime, 但是，当我想完成作业的时候，我的任务经常被我决定和我的朋友们在爱尔兰闲逛所打乱. There’s nothing I love more than socialization, 我告诉自己，如果我不花时间创造记忆，我会后悔的——这是事实, and I’m glad that I hung out with them, but I’d advise present study abroad 学生们在白天上课时优先考虑他们的学习. I managed to get what I needed to get done done, 但每当最后期限悄悄逼近的时候，我就会感到压力——不管是在城里跳舞的时候, or sipping tea with friends in a café.

这里的教训是要计划好你的每一天——以某种能力——这样你以后就不会感到压力. 我会把自己描述成一个喜欢全身心投入到任务中的人, because I care about learning and doing well, so it’s important that I set aside time. Also, 一般来说，当人们不去想那些烦人的待办事项时，他们会更放松，也能玩得开心. 当学业任务从你的待办事项清单上划掉时，你会感觉更好地逃离你的公寓. Trust me. (Speaking of: buy a planner to keep yourself in check!) Plan your time accordingly, 这样你就可以自由地投入到必然会到来的新体验中.

如果你不喜欢图书馆，试着在咖啡馆里完成一些工作!

2. Do not let the what-ifs weigh you down.

I gave this suggestion in a different article about solo traveling as a woman, but the same applies here. As someone who can be overly cautious, despite the spontaneity of my Sagittarius sun sign, 这是我在国外学到的一课:避免在事情真正发生之前过度思考. This applies not only to major steps like solo traveling, but for daily things that you can do, like compliment a souvenir store’s cashier on her earrings, 或者和来自法国或西班牙的国际同学交谈，了解更多关于他们和他们在国外的经历. 这种情绪甚至在你晚上和班上突然认识的朋友出去玩的时候也管用.

Whatever the case may be, you should always consider your safety, but don’t let fear keep you from taking action. One time, when casually walking down the streets of Galway, 我开始在随便一家商店和一位女士交谈，最后她邀请我参加一个月后的诗歌朗诵会. And while I felt nervous to read my work aloud, 我现在可以说，我已经向全世界的读者展示了我的作品, 这是一种非常棒的成就感——加上, I didn’t let my fear of the unknown prevent me from doing so! 总而言之，我们担心的想法往往比现实给我们的礼物更糟糕.

3. Do not let others define your experience for you.

Your first week or so will likely feel a little intimidating, 因为你会突然被扔进一个陌生的领域，身边都是一群新面孔，他们都有自己的留学任务清单和目标. 这可能包括在他们在电影屏幕上看到的所有神话般的城市拍照，或者每个周末都在一个新的国家度过. But don’t fret.

When I arrived in Ireland, I had little idea as to which countries I wanted to visit, 当我听别人数数他们的梦想目的地时，我感到不知所措. 我知道我想去旅行，但在我自己做了调查之前，我并不完全确定去哪里. While I ended up traveling with friends at times, 当别人不渴望看到和我一样的地方时，我也决定独自旅行. Had I only danced to the beat of my fellow students’ drums, ignoring the sound of my heart, I wouldn’t have created my own experiences.

Exploring the streets of Barcelona solo!

宝博体育是人们尝试新事物和探索令人兴奋的领域的绝佳时机, 但也有一些因素，你应该谨慎的放弃. 简单地按照别人的想法去做是很诱人的, 但在走自己的路的过程中，你会更了解自己. You’ll also learn what you certainly are capable of doing and what you should do more often.

And, lastly, just a couple more pointers: say yes (!因为你不想在这段美好的旅程成为回忆时感到后悔. Do not lose sight of the dreams that you desire.