Everything I Won’t Miss About Studying Abroad

As I write this on my final flight back to the U.K. from Berlin, I can’t help but reflect on all the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met these past few months of being abroad. I’m blessed to have a group of women here who share the same love for knowledge, adventure and (most importantly) incredible food as me. I now have friends from the U.K., the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Australia. I only hope they’ve grown from me half as much as I’ve grown from them.

Holidays Away from Home

It’s cliche to say, but the holidays really are my favorite time of year.

Many of you are probably still eating leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. I would ask you to save me some, but I’m not sure they’ll make it to next month (let alone next week). Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas lights and decorations will finally be making an appearance in parks and shops back in the states! Spoiler alert. They’ve been up since the beginning of November here in the U.K. I know, crazy talk!

The ‘Studying’ Part of Being Abroad

Being abroad is a constant adventure. Every day, I learn or experience something new about European culture.

One of the biggest cultural differences I’m experiencing is school. I often get asked what school is like in America. People ask me loads (look at me using some British vocab) of questions about my experiences in high school. Did you have a prom king and queen? What were football games like? How was your class schedule?

I really had no idea how different school was in Europe.

Serving it up the British Way!

Proper pub food should be enjoyed from a pub! That’s what my British friend told me when I mentioned that I absolutely needed to try every traditional British meal during my time here. I’d like to think I live a pretty healthy and active lifestyle, so going out to eat is not something I do often. However, this is definitely as much of a need as a want.

Cultural Learning Curves in the U.K.

Though the skies aren’t as sunny as San Diego, the U.K. is certainly a beautiful place. There’s a lot I can say about my first couple weeks abroad, but I thought I’d share a few of my first impressions.