Five things I didn’t think about before studying abroad

After four semesters in Nepal, Costa Rica, Vietnam and Ghana, here are five things I wasn’t prepared for and wish I had thought about before I left.

8. august 2026|Kristine

This text is translated using AI.

View the original article here.

You’re going to get tired – even when things are going well

During the first weeks, something is happening all the time. New people, a new language. New routines, a new curriculum, and an entirely new culture. Even though this is exciting, there are many impressions to take in.

I remember several times feeling exhausted without really understanding why. Only later, or after talking with friends, did I realize that I had probably been working at full speed.

A street scene with market stalls under colorful umbrellas on the left, a green tuk-tuk and other vehicles on the road, and buildings under a clear sky.

There’s a lot to get used to and many impressions to process. It’s completely normal to set aside time for yourself and work through everything you’re experiencing, even when you’re out on an adventure.

After talking with many of the people I studied with, I’ve realized that for most of us, withdrawing and taking this time for ourselves is actually the hardest part.

There’s so much you want to experience and things you don’t want to miss out on, but time alone may be exactly what’s needed to make the experience even better.

View from a dark interior through an open doorway to a sunny outdoor patio with furniture, plants, and a bright blue sky.

You don’t have to become best friends with everyone

When you travel alone to a new country and a new semester, it’s easy to think that you have to “find your group” right away.

You don't need that.

Some of the people I spent the most time with at the beginning aren’t necessarily the ones I’m in touch with today. Some become your best friends, others are people you shared a semester with.

"Etter fem semestre sitter jeg igjen med utallige minner og opplevelser"

Both options are perfectly fine. There will naturally be some people you click better with than others, but overall most of the people you meet during the different semesters will have something in common with you.

Everyone chose the semester abroad either because of their interest in the subject, to get to know new cultures, or to challenge themselves. That is exactly what makes these semesters so special.

For most people this is a completely new situation, and in a different way than when you study at home, we are entirely dependent on our fellow students. In the semesters when everyone has lived in the same place, we have almost become like a small family rather than a student group.

A large tree with exposed roots frames a view of the ocean with gentle waves and a small, green island in the distance.

The everyday life I missed the most

Before I left, I thought it would be my family and friends I’d miss the most. But what surprised me was that it was the little routines and small things at home that I missed the most every semester.

Being able to drink water from the tap, the grocery store back home, wearing just a sweater and pants, and simply knowing how everything works.

A rocky coastline with waves crashing, numerous green fishing boats on a sandy beach, and a large stone fort wall under an overcast sky.

It was perhaps precisely missing the little things from home that made it not so hard to feel at home in the different places I stayed.

Being able to have an “ordinary everyday life” with school, breakfast and various activities in the evening made this kind of daily life feel familiar. Not everything felt strange or lonely.

Lush green mountains under a cloudy sky, with a winding dirt road in the foreground.

The journey home was more difficult than the outward journey

I wasn’t prepared for how strange it would feel to come home after those four semesters.

While I’ve experienced many new things, life back home has carried on as before. Many people ask me how the trip has been, but it’s almost impossible to explain everything I’ve been through in just a few minutes.

You’ll probably also end up missing the people, the everyday life, and the life you built for yourself abroad more than you expected. That doesn’t mean you’re not happy to be home, just that you’ve experienced that another place has also become “home.”

Three blonde women eating noodles at a street food stall.

You’re going to change more than you think

When I went to Nepal, I went to learn about a new culture.

So did I. More than I had ever imagined.

And no matter how cliché it sounds, I probably learned even more about myself.

I’ve always liked meeting new people, but I’ve become even more confident about it, more comfortable in situations where I don’t quite know what’s going on, and more aware of how differently people live.

Colorful lights from riverside buildings and lanterns on boats reflect vividly on a dark river at night.

At the same time, I’ve seen how differently we view what matters. I’ve seen and experienced that it’s not important what things you own, but rather which people you have around you.

It’s probably something we all really know, but being in a completely new country, with very different cultural norms and rules, has made me appreciate the people I have around me even more.

A group of people playing volleyball on a sandy court amidst palm trees and thatched huts.

Ultimately, they are the ones who have helped me feel safe and want to explore.

If someone had told me this before I left, I probably wouldn’t really have understood it. Some things you just have to experience to truly understand.

And maybe that’s why I ended up spending a full four semesters abroad and not just the first one in Nepal.