Archive | Student Life in South Carolina RSS feed for this section

How small acts of kindness transformed my year abroad

17 Mar

Studying abroad? Here’s why the small acts of kindness mean so much, and why you should give something back to the international student community

If you’ve recently returned from studying abroad you’ll remember how daunting everything seemed at the beginning of your experience. Arriving in a foreign country with jet lag and a single suitcase suddenly makes all the little things incredibly important. The smallest acts of kindness from people in your host country can help make you feel at home, from the kind passenger on your outbound flight to the welcoming student ambassador who showed you to your new halls of residence.

1176186_10153148055820113_189868577_n

Many of these comforting encounters begin before you arrive. Before I studied abroad in South Carolina, I was lucky enough to meet up with Spencer, an American student who was on exchange in England. While I’d been given plenty of information from the study abroad office, it was great to hear about my host community first hand so I could truly get a sense of what to expect out there in the Palmetto State. What’s more, we stayed friends. As an exchange student who didn’t know a soul in America, making just one American friend who knew about the ups and downs of studying abroad was immensely reassuring.

1235017_10153194316240113_102434365_n

Then there were the small acts of kindness I encountered on arrival. When I made an offhand comment about enjoying sports to Stefano, a student ambassador, he asked if I’d like to join his intramural volleyball team. Having just arrived I thought it was probably a polite gesture, but it later became another friendship, which turned into an international volleyball squad made up of his American friends and my British buddies.
1292415_10153282463695313_1652823138_o

There were countless other instances of generosity and hospitality throughout the year. There was the CVS employee who gave me discount because I was using recycled shopping bags. There was that bookstore guy who stuck a ‘for rent’ sticker on an expensive new book because there were no cheap second-hand ones left. There was my friend Emily who would always check to see if I needed to get groceries before she drove to Publix. There were my Trek America campmates who pitched my tent when I was sick. Then, unforgettably, there was my American flatmate Sanne who invited me to her house for Thanksgiving (which was three months away) within five minutes of meeting each other. 10407419_10154214701390585_7405287887855901787_n

Why do the little things, which seem so coincidental and disconnected at the time matter so much when you study abroad? I’ve been reflecting on my year ever since I got back last June and I’ve realised that it’s those everyday unexpected gestures, above all else, that seem so clear and unforgettable.

When you study abroad, the small things that you take for granted at home suddenly feel like daily obstacles. I lost all sense that there were ‘big’ things and ‘small’ things to tackle, but there was an overwhelming list of daily obstacles that felt equally immense. Where is my class today? Where can I get my new student card? How do I set up a bank account? What if I don’t make friends?!

10464233_10152120555642051_1945616681594219587_n

So those small acts of kindness became a string of tangible and meaningful experiences to hold onto when my surroundings felt alien and unknown. Those moments made me feel at home when home felt like it was worlds away. In fact, they helped me to make a second home for myself within a new world.

wal mart

Those moments didn’t merely improve my year in South Carolina: they defined it. Those welcoming and accessible links made me feel part of an international student community that looked out for me regardless of where I was and where I’d come from. It’s precisely those gestures that remind me of the importance of giving something back to that community, whether it’s chatting with outgoing students about what to expect, signing up to a buddy scheme or just helping an international student with directions.

So if you’ve studied abroad and want to give something back, remember that it doesn’t matter how small an insignificant act of kindness might seem to you. When you help an exchange student, it’s just the kindness that matters, because when you study abroad, all the small things and the big things roll into one giant adventure.

10435843_10154288286280113_2245153624072383149_n I wrote this blog post for TopUniversities.com. You can view it on their website here.

Tags: adventure, , community, England, , , , , study abroad, , ,

10 things I wish I’d known before studying abroad in the US

22 Feb

Last year I swapped my steady student life in Leeds, England, for an unforgettable exchange year in South Carolina. I waved goodbye to weekends in the library and welcomed spending my spare time by the pool, exploring the US and watching American football games with my new international family. 1229944_10153197588695113_295444563_n (1)

I’ve realised that while the pre-departure support and advice I received from the study abroad office was second to none, there were just some things that briefings, orientation sessions and information booklets couldn’t have prepared me for. Here are ten things I wish I’d known before I plunged into my awesome year in the almighty USA:

You don’t need the extra suitcase

I totally regret taking an extra suitcase out to America, not to mention paying for it. I was so nervous about moving my life across the Atlantic that I tried to take it all with me. In the end, I didn’t use half the clothes and supplies and had to pay to ship them all back at the end of the year. If you’re going abroad, pack as light as you can- chances are you’ll want to buy new things in your host country anyway. suitcase

You won’t drink a good cup of tea all year.

Although I did pack too heavily, I wish I’d packed more teabags. If you’re a keen tea-drinker heading to America you’ll need to take a generous supply of your favourite teabag brand, because the chances of finding Yorkshire Tea or Tetleys in American supermarkets is extremely slim. 1175142_10153142825950113_158756582_n

Hope for the best but plan for the worst

When preparing to study abroad it’s best to adopt the mentality that the worst that could happen might just happen. It sounds negative, but that way, when you’re out in your host country and living independently, you’ll have a safety net of ‘Plan Bs’ that you ensured before you left. Make two copies of all your visa information. Take your laptop receipt in case you need to make an insurance claim. Most importantly, buy the most extensive type of insurance cover because it’s always better to be safe than sorry when you’re living in unfamiliar surroundings. 1175438_10153235128700113_576514204_n

Bid for a sorority early

I’ve always been intrigued by the phenomenon of sororities and fraternities and the polarizing reception they get in American universities. I ended my year abroad with a nagging curiosity and the regret that I never got to understand sorority culture from the inside. If you’re heading to America for a study abroad year, remember to check out sorority opportunities before you leave as they often start recruiting before you’re due to arrive. bid day

Studying abroad is an emotional cocktail (not a rollercoaster)
 Before I departed for South Carolina I was told that I’d most likely go through phases of emotional adjustment, from ‘orientation’ to the ‘honeymoon stage’ to the ominous ‘disintegration’ phase. But everyone is different. I realised that my emotional experience in the states wasn’t a case of ups and downs, like a rollercoaster, but an emotional cocktail. I’d feel homesick, excited, overwhelmed and settled all at the same time. Even if the individual elements weren’t always to my taste, they never ceased to make for an overall concoction of discovery, anticipation and adventure. 1391661_10153414794925113_1337663628_n-2

‘Bless your heart’ is not a compliment

When I came to South Carolina I heard people saying ‘bless your heart’ and thought it was a term of endearment. Later in the year a friend told me it means something totally different. It’s actually quite condescending- a Southern way of saying something like, ‘No offense, but you’re pretty stupid.’ Thanks for the heads up! 1187141_10153252628835113_1783846883_n

There are no corner shops- just enormous supermarkets

Having spent my life in England I’ve always been within a few streets of a nearby corner shop (or convenience store, as Americans call it.) I never realised how much I take them for granted until I moved to America and the only convenience items available in the nearest shop were crisps and sweets: no milk, no eggs, no bread. This meant I had to plan my weekly shopping trips to Wal Mart with military precision if I didn’t want to go without my beloved cups of tea for the rest of the week. So much for ‘convenience’… wal mart

You’ll need more than just shorts and t-shirts

When I learned that temperatures in the Palmetto State stay mostly warm all year round, as a Brit long deprived of sufficient sunshine I went into overdrive packing bikinis, shorts and t-shirts. Little did I know that I’d need thick jumpers and socks for South Carolina’s first occurrence of snowfall in years. british snowman

Americans love driving more than you can possibly imagine
 I had no idea just how much American driving culture would affect my year abroad until I arrived in Columbia. Despite being South Carolina’s capital city, Columbia isn’t pedestrian friendly to say the least. I quickly learned that being 21 without a driving license is the rare British exception to the American rule. There were so many times when I’d set out to the nearby town to find the pavement stop dead at my feet, turning my innocent shopping trips into questionable expeditions along the side of the road. Bless my heart! DSC02791

Reverse culture shock is worse than initial culture shock

As I was waiting for my inbound plane to pull in to the airport for a long return flight to the UK, I breathed a sigh of relief. I moved my life across the Atlantic for an entire year and had the most phenomenal time. What I didn’t expect was that the day-to-day impact of that year was far from over. Adjusting to life back home and parting with my new American family was one of the hardest and most unexpected trials of the whole year. While the shock went away within a few weeks, the reverse back to British culture will never be 100% complete. Wherever I go, I’ll always remember that there’s a welcoming American community out there in Columbia, South Carolina, that I’ll be sure to meet again sometime soon. 1167608_10154121806310113_7578574395160019972_o

Tags: , , , bid day, blog, British, , , culture shock, driving, education, England, study abroad

Top 5 moments my study abroad year made me a stronger person

26 Oct
There are times in life that push you beyond your comfort zone. Those are moments that cross a line you’ve never stepped over before, the ones that break new and unfamiliar ground. While at the time you might feel overwhelmed, confused or that you’ll never see the light at the end of the tunnel, eventually you’ll cross the Rubicon and look over your shoulder at all the hurdles you’ve overcome. DSC02884

It’s those defining moments in life that have made me a richer, stronger and more accomplished individual and I’ve never gone through more of them than during my study abroad year in South Carolina.

Here are the top five moments that my study abroad year made me a stronger person:

Day one: saying goodbye

Saying goodbye to my boyfriend, my family and my friends before I departed for South Carolina was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Not only was I nervous about the prospect of flying to the USA alone and having to make a completely new life for myself, but I was terrified by the possibility that my trans-Atlantic absence would cause my cherished relationships to grow apart. 

If that momentous plunge into the unknown wasn’t enough to make my knees buckle at the airport, arriving in Columbia without any of my suitcases added an unwelcome logistical nightmare to my long-haul emotional exhaustion.

Battling against the worst case of the flu I’ve ever had

Two days before my new friends and I were set to depart for a weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina, I woke up with a debilitating case of the flu. It turned out to be the worst case I’ve ever had to date—my body ached, my eyes were stinging, my head was searing and then ice cold and I was waking up shuddering and covered in sweat in the middle of the night.

The only time I left the flat was to traipse through South Carolina’s first batch of snowfall in decades to visit the doctors. When I got there, I had to stick a swab up my nostrils and pay $50 for Tamiflu, which turned out to make me vomit. Needless to say, I never made it to Asheville.

Post-Christmas homesickness

While I didn’t experience much homesickness during my first semester, when I returned to South Carolina after a brief Christmas in England, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was looking at my American surroundings with a British cultural appetite, just wishing I could curl up in a pub drinking mulled wine and eating mince pies with my loved ones at home.

No matter how incredible South Carolina was, I was still yearning for British home comforts and familiarity.

Contracting gastroenteritis in the Arizona desert

At the end of my study abroad year I decided to take a group tour through California, Arizona and Nevada with a group of 12 people I’d never met. By day three I contracted gastroenteritis, a common bug that causes the stomach and intestines to become inflamed. Anyone who has battled through it will have spent at least 24 hours projectile vomiting and running to the bathroom to cope with severe diarrhoea. DSC02787

Lucky for me, I contracted the notorious bug in the middle of a six-hour drive through the Arizona desert. No gas stations, no bathrooms, just a single road ahead surrounded by distant mountains and dust devils dancing along the horizon. We spent the afternoon stopping and starting the minivan as I launched myself out of the door to vomit on yet another helpless Joshua tree.

Having my laptop stolen in LA

When I returned to LA on the last day of my trip around the West Coast, raring to Skype home and tell my family and friends about all of my trekking tales, I came back to our hotel to discover that my laptop had been stolen.

While my new friends spent their last evening together exploring Hollywood and indulging in all-American food at the Hard Rock Café, I spent my night getting crime reference numbers at the LAPD station and calling home to try and find my laptop receipt.
While looking back down the road can be a painful trip down memory lane, revisiting these moments fills me with an immense sense of pride and gratitude. If it weren’t for my year in the States, I wouldn’t have learned that, despite everything, I have the inner strength and resolve to carry on when life gets tough.

These are the defining moments I talk about in job interviews. When an employer says “tell me about a time in your life when you had to use initiative,” I now have a bank of memories and experiences to draw from to demonstrate my energy, resilience and independence.

Above all else—isn’t that what studying abroad is all about?IMG-20140814-WA0021

This article has also been published by The News Hub and Verge Magazine

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 ways that studying abroad transforms your resume

29 Jul

This blog has also been featured on Verge Magazine’s website and can be viewed here.

How to communicate your overseas experience to employers.

 

Moving my entire life to South Carolina last August, I knew that there was an unpredictable, unfamiliar and exciting journey ahead. Having returned home to Leeds, England, a year later, I’ve been able to see just how much that exposure to unfamiliarity has made me a stronger individual. But the challenges I’ve faced over the last year have also made me a more employable individual.

I’ve been applying for internships, work experience placements, jobs and volunteer roles and have realized just how much I’m relying on my year abroad as a tool for self-promotion.

Here are the top 10 ways that studying abroad—wherever you go and whatever you study—transforms your resume:

1. Study abroad fosters global thinking.

999819_743861552311694_607540598_n

Delivering a presentation about England to American students in Irmo Middle School

Studying abroad encourages students to see the advantage in global connections. You might be able to bring a global twist to a new work project, or utilize connections you made in the field. Or perhaps studying abroad simply made you more worldly and more aware. Whatever the case, studying abroad helps us to nourish an international insight into studying, into employment and into life itself. 

2. Study abroad demonstrates versatility.

Studying abroad shows potential employers that you can deliver the same degree of high-quality attainment even when you’re at the edge of your comfort zone. Having adapted to the needs of an academic institution across the world, they can rest assured that you won’t be daunted by the demands of a new office either. 

Trying local shopping in Columbia's thrift stores

Trying local shopping in Columbia’s thrift stores


3. Study abroad makes you more open-minded.

Trying rock-climbing for the first time in Alabama

While studying abroad, many things happen that you never would have predicted at the start of the year, the start of the month or even at the start of each day. Exchange students foster the ability to approach change with an open-mind and learn how to stay calm when they can’t predict the outcome of a given situation. This will be particularly useful for employers who are looking for someone who can think on their feet. 

4. Study abroad demonstrates an ability to embrace differences.

As a freelance blogger and journalist, actively learning about other cultures has not only enriched my life perspective, it has also enriched my writing with a deeper consideration for counter-arguments. Living in another country for a year has helped me to think about how someone from a different culture may consider what I’m trying to say.

10464346_10152120568557051_5369498333485261182_n

My new friend Smokey in Memphis, TN

Whether you’d like to be a columnist for a national newspaper or the head of marketing at a high-flying firm, embracing social, cultural, ethnic, racial, religious and moral differences demonstrates a progressive, think-outside-the-box attitude to life. 

5. Study abroad builds confidence.

Katty Kay and Claire Shipman recently released their book, The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance and define confidence as “life’s enabler,” and “‘the ability to turn thought into action.” Confidence is also accumulative: the more you’re reinforced with positive results for taking risks, the more you’re likely to take more risks in the future.

DSC02121

Backpacking in the chilly winds of Grayson Highlands, Virginia

With a study abroad year on your resume, employers will know that you have that “just do it” attitude to life that separates you from the “thinkers” and makes you a “doer.”  

6. Study abroad helps develop your organization skills.

There are many aspects of studying abroad that require you to be rigorously organized. Much of this begins the moment you tear open your acceptance letter: vaccinations, visa requirements, bank forms, accommodation, exam certificates and doctor’s forms constitute just a small selection of the paperwork that an exchange year thrusts upon it’s courageous participants. It also demands the ability to plan and be proactive.

Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 18.21.32

Just some of the papers I had to sort through before I departed

Going on a year abroad is the perfect platform to master organization and forward planning so that getting these basics in place for future jobs will be a breeze. 

7. Study abroad allows your communication skills to cross cultural barriers.

Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.21.25

Giving a presentation about my year at USC’s Discovery Day

Every study abroad experience is different from the next. Some people will study abroad in America for a year and vow to visit every state. Some will study abroad in Europe for a semester and vow to learn another language. However you measure success on a study abroad year, there’s no doubt that being able to create a life for yourself in another culture requires a certain clarity of communication, both verbally and interpersonally. 

8. Study abroad makes you more independent.

DSC03020

Trekking through Yosemite National Park with a group of people I’d met a week ago

No matter how many times you Skype home, the bottom line is that you’re out there on your own. You have to create a life for yourself in another country, make friends, find your classes, open a bank account and familiarize yourself with another culture. This will prove indispensable to employers who are looking for self-motivated candidates who can flourish in new environments. 

9. Study abroad fosters a single-minded determination to succeed.

Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 19.57.23

South Carolina’s Best Student Columnist 2013

Although the essence of studying abroad is to broaden one’s horizons, something can be said for maintaining focus while so many distractions lie outside the window. I remember kicking myself when I missed out on weekend trips and nights out because I had so many writing deadlines. But I decided that becoming a columnist for South Carolina’s student newspaper was the better reason to be staying up late at night. 

However people choose get involved with campus life while on exchange, making an extra commitment can be the ultimate difference between a shortlisted resume and the one that secures the job.

10. Study abroad demonstrates an ability to overcome challenges.  

Martin Luther King once said that “the true measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” The capacity to see opportunity in difficulty is what separates the optimists from the pessimists.

DSC02874

Making it halfway through the Grand Canyon trek (8 hours total)

I’ve heard all kinds of horror stories within the study abroad community—lost passports, stolen baggage, being stranded in an airport, running out of vital medication—but the capacity to overcome these challenges will determine the strength of the residue that is left behind when life’s luck and fortune have evaporated. 

 

10 lifestyle habits I’ve picked up while studying abroad in the US

18 Jul

This blog has also been featured on The Guardian’s Blogging Students website, and can be found here: http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2014/jul/17/10-american-habits-studying-abroad-students

Screen Shot 2014-07-17 at 12.31.55

My blog on The Guardian website

As university friends studying business, finance and law started gaining seriously impressive internships and ‘year in industry’ placements in September 2012, I decided that, as an English and History student, there had to be some way to boost my CV and become more employable.

I shopped around, scanning the university website for opportunities to fit the bill. Four months later I’d completed my application to study abroad in the states, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

DSC02966

A dozen chicken wings, listed on the menu as a ‘starter’

So for the past year I’ve abandoned my familiar Leeds student lifestyle for an exchange year at the University of South Carolina. I swapped nightclubs for frat parties, my small student house for American dorms, Yorkshire Tea for sweet tea, fish and chips for Southern fried chicken and afternoons at the pub for afternoons on a sun lounger at the outdoor pool.

Many of my study abroad friends who ventured to foreign language countries were sceptical about the degree to which social customs would be different in America. But from the moment I touched down in Columbia, South Carolina, I knew I had an eye-opening adventure ahead of me.

Here are ten lifestyle habits that I’ve picked up since being on exchange in the Appalachian South:

Tipping

10358983_763897753632578_2928646744867974059_o

Eating out with friends in San Francisco’s Little Italy

In the US, service staff members earn their keep largely through tips, so visiting a restaurant or bar without leaving a tip is considered hugely disrespectful. Thanks to this American social custom, I’ve returned to the UK much more willing to give away those extra few pounds at the end of my meal.

Using weekends to travel

1236936_10153741684220113_1446741469_n

Rockclimbing in Alabama

With America’s endless travelling opportunities just waiting to be explored, I used the weekdays to study hard, and the weekends to pack my bags and tick some more states off my to-see list.

Being OK with driving insanely long hours

When I did pack my bags for the weekend, I had to mentally prepare myself for the long car journey ahead. As Americans don’t have the same level of public transport resources as British students do, they’re much more accustomed to driving long hours across the interstate to get to where they want to be.

Planning my social life around sports games

Watching Clowney and the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice stadium

If ever I didn’t travel at the weekend, I’d be watching live sports. The university football team played in a stadium just short of Wembley’s capacity, and with free tickets for students, the weekly dose of American football was considered an unmissable social event.

Choosing comfort over style

A classic day-to-day choice

The go-to daily attire in the intense South Carolinian heat and humidity was a nonchalant Nike Shorts (‘Norts’) and baggy t-shirt combination. It was also immediately apparent that checked shirts (or ‘flannel shirts’) are readily accepted at any social occasion. If in doubt, flannel out.

Embracing team spirit

Cuddles with Cocky

When I first arrived in the US I felt a typical British reluctance towards American patriotism and team spirit. By the end of my year I’d become swept away in the fun, sporting team colours to classes and queuing for photos with the university mascot.

Expressing happiness with the word ‘blessed’

Perhaps it was because I studied in the Bible belt, or because Americans embrace upbeatisms more readily than we Brits do, but I heard locals express happiness with the word ‘blessed’ on a daily basis. I even saw a car license plate that read ‘Bless3d’. Since returning to England I’ve caught myself using the word on several occasions.

Solving any remotely difficult situation by grabbing frozen yoghurt

10298889_10154171468700113_2256043558180534801_n

Fro-yo

Forget grabbing a coffee or putting the kettle on as ways to unwind at the end of the day. The nearest frozen yoghurt café was a regular haunt for students looking for a midweek treat.

Speaking up in lectures

1391661_10153414794925113_1337663628_n-2

English classes at USC

As class participation often counts for large percentages of final grades in American institutions, over the past year I’ve become a lot more vocal about my thoughts during classes. I’m looking forward to seeing how my renewed, Americanised verbal skills will fit back in to British lectures and seminars in my final year.

Going with the flow

10329853_763898536965833_1701787412688336494_o

Halfway through the 8-hour Bright Angel Trail, grand Canyon, AZ

This probably says more about the overall experience of being an international exchange student rather than American social customs, but since studying abroad in America I’ve become a pro at going with the flow. The study abroad experience can be pretty unpredictable at times, so rather than worrying about trying to have a plan for everything, my new favourite phrase is ‘Let’s play it by ear’.

Tags: , , British, , Cocky, driving, , , , , , , study abroad, tipping, ,

What reverse culture shock really feels like

15 Jul

Every exchange student will have a different study abroad experience. At my pre-departure meeting in Leeds I was presented with a graph that plotted the supposed emotional stages an exchange student goes through over the course of their year abroad. Peaks and troughs varied from obvious phases of ‘anticipation’ and ‘adapting’ to an ominous-sounding ‘disintegration’ phase that left me wondering just how turbulent the emotional rollercoaster ahead was going to be.

While some of the phases have been extremely real, not once have they been linear enough to be plotted on a graph. I was homesick while I was still adapting. I was culture-shocked while I was hyperactively excited. I enjoyed my newfound independence during the same week that I Skyped home every single day.

Of all the predictions and insight that the graph gave me, I never gave reverse culture shock much thought. How I’d be feeling after the year ahead was the least of my concerns. I was signed up and checked in with a visa appointment at the London embassy waiting down the line. Thinking about how I would feel in over a year’s time felt as distant and unreachable as it does to look back to my pre-departure days now.

On reflection, reverse culture shock has been the hardest transition of all. I say ‘on reflection’ because it is only now, five weeks after I returned to England, that I have fully recovered and emerged from the tidal wave of readjustment that has consumed me for the passing weeks.

1426487_10153485359020113_1408073646_n

New York

Exchange students returning home from their beloved host countries are meant to go through ‘initial excitement’, followed by a ‘judgmental stage’, ‘realisation’,  ‘frustration’ and finally ‘balanced re-adaptation’ to home life.

10419064_10154288252685113_7939016590852653144_n

The Grand Canyon

The initial excitement to go home is like anticipating a high-school reunion from behind a plate of glass. You’re not there yet, and you can’t materialise it, but you have a million and one hypothetical guesses about what it might be like, and what might have changed. The only thing that softened the blow of heart-breaking goodbyes in America was the sweet, sweet lure of England and everything that I love within it- friends and loved ones, Yorkshire Tea, curry, pubs and sarcasm. But the prospect of plunging back into my British past and reconciling it with the realities of my American present was tinged by a nagging anxiety that I had no idea just how hard that reconciliation was going to be.

Screen Shot 2014-07-15 at 12.32.51

Getting reacquainted with my beloved Yorkshire tea

The judgmental stage is like seeing your home community through a veil of cultural snobbery. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I was seeing British sights through an American lens and making a mental note of everything that didn’t agree with my Americanised cultural appetite. I visited a sports goods shop shortly after I returned home and couldn’t help but compare the nonchalant grunts of the staff to the upbeat, optimistic and high-pitched enthusiasm of Americans I met all over the states. Welcome back to England, where the customer is never right.

The realisation stage is a numbing experience. I started to notice changes in my surroundings and in myself all the time. Everywhere I looked, everyone I met, everywhere I went I was realising how things have changed, how they’re different to America, and the small handful of things that have stayed the same. It was a fascinating but overwhelming time that left me feeling stupefied by the sheer immensity of it all.

The frustration stage is like missing an ex-partner from the regretful embrace of a rebound. I tried to find all the things I love about America in England, and it backfired. Instead of seeing England and America as lovable in their own unique ways, I went round in circles trying to push the wooden triangle block into the square hole. No matter how many times I clicked through my photo albums on Facebook, the year had been and gone.

Urban Dictionary defines ‘Zen’ as the following:

“A total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts.”

Screen Shot 2014-07-15 at 12.32.43

My first drink in a British beer garden after my year in SC

This is the balanced re-adaptation to home life. It is a kind of clarity, a peacefulness, a state of calm and mostly, a serene sense of happiness that I’ve never had before.

Screen Shot 2014-07-15 at 12.32.55

My first curry night back with my family

We will never be able to recreate the year in all it’s glory. It was a unique coming-together of people and circumstances, of badly-timed beer pong and country music, of $2 margaritas and long road trips. But that’s what makes the study abroad experience so life-affirming and beautiful. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After weeks of feeling displaced, resentful and bitter about home life, the final stage is like taking that first deep breath after a workout. The one that really fills your lungs. It’s a sigh of relief and a sense of comfort that you haven’t had for an entire year. It’s the immense feeling of achievement in being able to say that you did it, you overcame the hurdles, mastered your new surroundings and returned home stronger than ever before, with hundreds of stories to tell.

Screen Shot 2014-07-15 at 12.33.41

Tags: adaptation, balance, Carolina, culture shock, England, , frustration, judgemental, , return, , study abroad, transition, weekend trips

What American freedom means to me

4 Jul

American freedom symbolises different things for different people. While the core principles of American Independence date back to 4th July 1776, people all over the world will have a different story to tell about what it means to be in the land of the free. As a British exchange student who spent my last year in South Carolina, I look back on my time abroad as one of the most carefree and joyful years of my life. As I sit in my computer chair sipping a cup of tea (pardon the positively dreadful stereotype) I reflect upon all the times I took American freedom for granted. In the red, white and blue spirit of Independence Day, here’s a Brits-eye view of what American freedom means to me.

American freedom makes dreams come true.

It’s dreaming about what it meant To Have A Dream. 10302743_10154160259315113_6254105797152374764_n

It’s dreaming about what the New York skyline looks like from 86 floors high.  1426487_10153485359020113_1408073646_n

It’s dreaming that you’re Alice Paul and the National Women’s Party picketing the White House for female suffrage. 1948214_10153963266205113_1941954637_n

It’s dreaming about what frat parties are really like. 1239815_10151927984546057_2122052212_n

It’s dreaming about the golden California coastline. 10382343_763896896965997_4746107802069694660_o

It’s dreaming about the greats from past and present. 10409757_10152120564822051_8781440310444325198_n

American freedom creates opportunity.

It’s learning how to rock-climb in Alabama. 1236936_10153741684220113_1446741469_n

It’s waking up in the morning and seeing your columns in the newspaper.viewpointsheader

It’s setting up a volleyball team with a group of internationals. 

It’s giving presentations about England in an American middle school.999819_743861552311694_607540598_n

It’s becoming South Carolina’s best student columnist 2013. Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 19.57.23

American freedom is variation.

It’s travelling through four states in 2 weeks. 10451170_10154288235710113_7210974914393426782_n

It’s having friends from all over the world, from all walks of life. 1275589_10153252282535313_266095435_o

It’s being friends with people who are nothing like you. 10464346_10152120568557051_5369498333485261182_n

It’s meeting a new person every day. 1396063_10153443813405113_1209170342_n-2

It’s learning that doing things a little differently is okay. 

American freedom is team spirit.

It’s a cheerleading squad seeing it through to the end. 

It’s stars and stripes on every corner. 10403494_10154288234910113_622862200614300605_n

It’s 80,000 people rooting for the same team. 

It’s a marching band 340 musicians strong. 1184972_10153197588895113_813629457_n

It’s standing on your feet for 4 hours straight. 

American freedom is hospitality.

It’s going to seminars at your tutor’s house.10245344_10154102100580113_5314905462739688092_n

It’s going to an American home for Thanksgiving. 

It’s staying with American friends for a week.1526144_10154171467375113_3136757778159249347_n

It’s feeling at home in every state. 10276974_10154160240240113_5798112630718242246_n

It’s being accepted for who I am. 

Tags: 1776, 4th July, , blog, celebration, Declaration of Independence, democracy, dream, Elvis Presley, England, , freedom, , Independence Day, , Martin Luther King, , states, , study abroad,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,663 other followers

%d bloggers like this: