what I wish I knew before studying abroad for a year
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the YouTuber shares valuable insights from their study abroad experience in Edinburgh, focusing on the first half of their year-long journey. They emphasize the importance of embracing new experiences, pushing personal boundaries, and finding comfort in independence. The script also touches on the reality that study abroad can have mundane moments, and the need to balance travel with academic responsibilities. Additionally, the YouTuber advises on making friends with diverse individuals, spending money on memorable experiences, and embracing the temporary nature of living abroad. They conclude by encouraging viewers to balance exploring their host country with traveling to other places.
Takeaways
- 🎬 Say yes to new experiences to create lasting memories and push your boundaries.
- 🏡 Embrace independence and self-reliance while studying abroad.
- 📚 Accept that studying abroad can have normal days and that's okay; focus on academics when needed.
- 🧳 Understand that you won't become a new person just by going to a new place; work on personal growth.
- 💸 Invest in experiences rather than material things to make the most of your time abroad.
- 🌐 Make friends with a diverse range of people to enrich your cultural understanding.
- 🌟 Embrace the temporary nature of your stay and focus on being present.
- 🏞️ Balance exploring your host country with traveling to other places.
- 📈 Learn to balance work and fun, and don't feel guilty about having normal days.
- 🗣️ Engage with locals and other international students for a broader perspective.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video?
-The main theme of the video is sharing personal experiences and advice for those considering studying abroad, with a focus on the unique challenges and insights gained from a longer-term study abroad experience.
Why did the YouTuber reference the movie 'Yes Man' with Jim Carrey?
-The YouTuber referenced 'Yes Man' to illustrate the importance of saying 'yes' to new experiences when studying abroad, as it can lead to personal growth and create memorable moments.
What is the significance of studying abroad for a full year compared to a shorter period?
-Studying abroad for a full year is significant because it allows for deeper immersion in the host culture, more substantial academic engagement, and potentially a greater sense of independence and personal growth.
How does the YouTuber suggest making friends while studying abroad?
-The YouTuber suggests making friends with other study abroad students in the same city, as they are more likely to be interested in traveling and exploring, which can lead to shared experiences and stronger connections.
What advice does the YouTuber give regarding managing expectations about the 'fun' aspect of studying abroad?
-The YouTuber advises that while studying abroad can be fun, it's also normal for it to sometimes feel like 'real life' with routine tasks and responsibilities, and it's important not to feel guilty about those ordinary moments.
Why is it important to embrace the temporary nature of the study abroad experience, according to the YouTuber?
-Embracing the temporary nature of the study abroad experience is important because it helps in being present, enjoying the moment, and preparing for the reality of having to say goodbye to the host country and the life built there.
What is the YouTuber's perspective on spending money while studying abroad?
-The YouTuber recommends spending money on experiences rather than material things, such as traveling to new cities, trying local food, and attending shows, as these create lasting memories.
How does the YouTuber feel about the independence required during a year-long study abroad?
-The YouTuber acknowledges that independence can be challenging, especially initially, but it's a crucial part of the experience that leads to personal growth and self-reliance.
What does the YouTuber suggest regarding the balance between traveling within the host country and to other places?
-The YouTuber suggests that while it's tempting to travel to many places, spending more time exploring the host city or country can provide a deeper appreciation and understanding of the place one has come to study.
Why does the YouTuber emphasize the importance of not expecting to become a completely new person after studying abroad?
-The YouTuber emphasizes this because people often carry their same problems, insecurities, and personal traits with them, and it's important to recognize that personal growth is a continuous process, not a one-time transformation.
Outlines
🌍 Embracing the Study Abroad Experience
The speaker introduces the topic of studying abroad, sharing personal insights from their time in Edinburgh. They mention the rarity of studying abroad for a full year, especially from a North American perspective, and the challenges it presents in terms of academic planning. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making friends with other study abroad students for travel and support, and encourages viewers to say 'yes' to new experiences, drawing inspiration from the movie 'Yes Man'. The advice is aimed at maximizing the study abroad experience, whether for a semester or a full year.
🧳 Adjusting to the Ebb and Flow of Life Abroad
In this section, the speaker acknowledges that studying abroad involves a mix of exciting adventures and ordinary, everyday tasks. They discuss the pressure to constantly have fun and the reality of balancing academic responsibilities. The speaker advises accepting the normalcy of some days and the importance of focusing on schoolwork. They also touch on the idea that one does not become a new person by moving to a new place, but rather continues to face personal challenges and grow.
💸 Investing in Experiences Over Material Possessions
The speaker stresses the value of spending money on experiences rather than material items during their time abroad. They recount personal experiences and suggest that students prioritize travel, food, and cultural activities to create lasting memories. The speaker also encourages making friends with a diverse range of people, including other study abroad students and international students, to enrich their experience.
⏳ Embracing the Temporary Nature of Study Abroad
Here, the speaker reflects on the temporary nature of the study abroad experience, discussing the emotional challenges of knowing the time in a new place is limited. They share their personal feelings of being a 'nomad' and the practice it gives them in adapting to new environments. The speaker also talks about the importance of being present and enjoying each moment, despite the knowledge that they will eventually have to leave.
🌐 Balancing Exploration of Home and Foreign Lands
In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the balance between traveling to other countries and exploring the host country in depth. They mention the impact of COVID-19 on travel plans and how it led to a deeper exploration of Edinburgh and Scotland. The speaker suggests that spending more time in the host city can be just as rewarding as traveling to multiple countries, and they encourage viewers to appreciate the place they've chosen to study.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Study Abroad
💡Independence
💡Comfort Zone
💡Temporary
💡Travel
💡Experiences
💡Home Country
💡Friendships
💡Real Life
💡Self-Reflection
💡Cultural Immersion
Highlights
The speaker shares 10 things they wish they knew before studying abroad, reflecting on their experience halfway through.
They discuss the unique challenges of studying abroad for a full year versus a semester.
Advice on saying 'yes' to new experiences, inspired by the movie 'Yes Man' with Jim Carrey.
The importance of pushing oneself out of their comfort zone, regardless of their personality type.
Tips on getting comfortable with independence while studying in a foreign country.
Acknowledging that studying abroad can sometimes feel like 'real life' and that's okay.
Insights on how studying abroad doesn't necessarily change who you are, but can help you grow.
Encouragement to spend money on experiences rather than material things while abroad.
The value of making friends with a variety of people, including other study abroad students and international students.
Embracing the temporary nature of the study abroad experience and the lessons it teaches.
Balancing travel within the host country and to other places while studying abroad.
The speaker's personal realizations and how they've handled the temporary aspects of living abroad.
Practical advice on making the most of the study abroad experience, including dealing with the reality of 'normal' days.
A call to action for viewers to ask questions or request more specific travel tips in future videos.
Transcripts
put on my youtuber voice hello
hey
this is
how i talk
sorry
hi everybody so today we're going to
talk about 10 things that i wish that i
knew before i studied abroad so
obviously this is going to be like it's
gonna be like a part one because i'm
only halfway through my experience i am
lucky enough that i actually got to come
home for the holidays because i am going
back i'm going back to edinburgh in
like a month and after that i'll be
there for way longer than i was for the
like the fall semester so i want to make
a video from the perspective of somebody
who's going for a whole entire year and
obviously some of these tips will
they'll come in handy if you're only
going for like four months or three
months but
going for a year as i might say like a
north american is
it's kind of rare like i i have barely
i've talked to
like maybe like a handful of people who
are doing this for a year and i don't
know if it's just like our education
system or the way that like our college
credits are signed up but it's it's a
lot harder to go for longer and like
still graduate in time jumping right
right in going for a year is
like a weird amount of time
because it's not a semester because if
you go for a semester like it's a little
bit less like it's a little more like i
am i'm only here for a semester like i'm
just going to do whatever i want like
you know talk to as many people as i can
and you know it's in those situations
like it's good to make friends with
other study abroad students who are also
like in your city because a lot of the
times like you want to travel you want
to go other places and those are the
people that are probably going to be
more down for that rather than like
students who actually go to the school
and are there for school it's just like
you going to like your home university
you're not you know jetting off to
i don't know where you would jet off to
in the us we we have i guess like road
trips and stuff like not every weekend i
don't know so starting with my first
piece of advice is number one is i would
say yes to as many things as you can so
back in like august or like uh like july
i watched this movie called yes man with
jim carrey and i think it's on netflix
still
um just was like i don't know why i
watched it it was just like there and i
was like hey what's this
and it's about this character and he's
just kind of like stuck in a rut in his
life and so he goes to this like weird
meeting where there's like this like
it's kind of like an mlm i don't know
i don't know uh don't take my word for
that but like it's it's a little culty
vibes and basically they have this like
whole philosophy of like saying yes to
more things like open up you know
avenues in your life and like while the
movie
ends in chaos
it does have a good moral so i would
watch the movie but i i took away from
that is that you thinks can happen when
you say yes to things that you wouldn't
necessarily
say yes to and i think that like
studying abroad like that is a big thing
for me and i am an introvert like for
sure i'm i'm a confident person but like
i like there's just like certain things
i'm like i don't need to do like i don't
i don't i know myself like i don't i
will not enjoy that scenario or that
situation i think a part of this is like
pushing yourself out of your comfort
zone like no matter what your comfort
zone is because whether you're you know
an extrovert or an introvert or like
you've traveled a lot or traveled none
at all whatever your comfort zone is
like try and go outside of it and if
someone invites you to go do something
like just like i think
a lot of the times in my head i like
weigh the like weigh the
the pros and cons but i would say when
you're on study abroad like that first
couple of weeks and like keep this
energy throughout you're gonna run out
of energy like trust and believe but
i think that just like not thinking and
saying yes to things and just going and
doing something like you normally
wouldn't like is part of the fun and i
have a lot of cool memories now because
of things like that because of moments
like that so that is definitely my
number one tip okay number two is get
comfortable with independence so you
will be doing everything by yourself um
i know some people go with friends but
most likely if you're going for a year
to a brand new country that's a little
scary and i definitely had a bit of a
crisis not a crisis but like you get to
like your room and you're like oh like
i'm alone in a foreign country and like
i made a video about this you can watch
it but it's it's definitely like a
little it's a little shocking like i
can't believe i did this to myself like
why did i do this
like then it gets good it gets really
good yeah i think getting comfortable
with independence like getting
comfortable just like like being
your own cheerleader if that makes any
sense like a lot of the times like if
you're at school and you have a roommate
or you have you know like a best friend
or something like that like you can lean
on them and if you're having like a hard
day like you go to them and you know you
might have that like i definitely i made
friends like not even yeah like
eventually like you know it takes time
to like make those like close
friendships that you feel like you can
like you can really like confide in
people i would say so you know having
those moments where like you're having a
hard day and just you have to get kind
of good at like like hyping yourself up
and um just get comfortable with that
feeling because you know that's uh
that's life
number three so when you're going to
study abroad i will say that it is just
know that it's okay for it to feel kind
of like boring and like real life i
definitely struggled with this just a
little bit like i you know was just like
trying to like go and do my thing but
you know when you're there you start
following a lot of people who are like
also on study abroad or like your
friends are all studying abroad and
you're like oh my gosh like they're just
having so much fun all the time like
and yes it's a really fun
i'd say like it's probably some of the
most fun that i've had in college so far
but some days they're just normal like
some days i have to wake up and i have
to write a paper and like do work so i
can pass because like i'm there for a
year like i really can't well even if
you're their first master like you can't
really mess it up because then that'll
kind of like mess up your trajectory for
your college degree so like there are
some days like you have to kind of like
narrow in and you know focus on your
schoolwork and yeah it can feel a little
boring like there are some weeks like
not a lot's going on and you know it's
just like a normal monday but you're
living in a new city and i think that's
okay and i think it's part of the fun
like you know it's it's more than a trip
because like you find yourself making
new habits and like having like building
a new life in this new city which is
kind of cool but sometimes it can feel
normal which is like don't feel bad
about that because i i definitely had
moments where i was like i kind of feel
bad that i'm not like i don't know
[Music]
like
why do i like literally why do i feel
guilty about like not having fun
sometimes you have to do work that
i feel like i try i have i find new ways
to feel guilty about things like every
day of my life
why do i do this i don't know i have no
idea number four i got this advice so
much and over again like people were
like yeah like you'll go to this new
place but you won't become a new person
and like that's just
like it hit you know what i mean like
you will go to this new place and you
will still have your same problems you
will still be you you will still have
your own insecurities and you know
things that you need to work on and
that's okay like you know just you gotta
keep going and it it'll be good
but yeah there are definitely moments
where i'm like oh like i'm gonna be like
so fun and like free and easy and then
like i'm sitting there like i'm feeling
guilty because i'm not having fun like
you know like it's like those moments
are like okay like
you steal you yeah
number five so spend your money on
experiences so if you have a budget you
know it can be really tempting
especially in edinburgh like
you you know to go shopping and you know
i definitely have but i think like if
you have
money set aside for study abroad like
spend it on experiences
you know if you have a free weekend to
go and see a new city
and eat the food and see the shows and
just you know
like make new memories like i would say
that is that should be your number one
priority because that is just like
that's what it's about so yeah i would
say that that is my tip okay so number
six is going to be make friends with all
kinds of people so
i made friends with like other study
abroad students other international
students i actually really met a lot of
people from like my area in maryland
which is really funny like i think i've
met like maybe up to like 10 people from
like my direct area yeah you know it's
it can be a little tricky because when
you make like i made such great friends
this semester who like were also on
study abroad but like unfortunately they
were only there for the fall semester
and you know what like we had such a
nice time and like i made some great
memories this fall semester
um so like like just don't worry about
that like go and like meet people that
you connect with and like go have fun
like go travel go see the world make
some cool memories make a new friend and
that's sort of my advice with that okay
so number seven embrace the temporary
knit race
the tempora
temporariness
embrace the temporary aspects of life
that's how i'm going to rephrase that
sentence i think that
for me personally
you guys if you've been on my channel
for long enough like i had a year
of college and
then my second year like was cut off
by covid and then i took a gap year and
now i'm here
so when i go back my senior year of
college like i'm going to have another
year of temporary
living it's a little
just a little spicy you know
nomad
absolutely rebranding my life is my i'm
a nomad you know what i mean i will have
lots of practice on um you know
may remaking a life for myself you know
re-meeting people and which next year
will be a little different because like
i i know the city i know my routines and
like have a job and things like that but
um
there are moments where i get like a
little scared not like scared but like
yeah like it's a little it's a little um
weird to like only go to a place for a
year and like i feel like a semester is
a little bit like that's really
temporary but like a year is like a
little bit longer to like settle into a
place and like really get comfortable
but then like have to say goodbye like
it's a little weird but i think that i
it's
it's giving me practice and just like
trying to be present and trying to like
just focus on
what's right in front of me and just
enjoy myself because that's all that you
can do and hopefully that's a skill that
will like translate to my actual life
next year but yeah it's definitely good
practice in that number nine is to
balance travel in
your home country versus
other places so i didn't really travel
that much out of the country because as
of right now the code restrictions are a
little bit difficult to deal with but
a lot of people say this and i think
that because of kobe right now a lot of
people weren't like jetting off to
different countries on the weekend and a
lot of us just spent a lot more time
like actually exploring like the city
that we we were in
and it was really cool like we got to
like see a lot more of our city than
than maybe study abroad students like
usually would see because
kind of the whole point of studying
abroad is like to go see other places
too because you're in europe like if you
go to europe like it's very easy to
travel around and see other places but
honestly spending a little more time
like just in edinburgh in scotland has
given me a lot more like a lot more
moments to appreciate the actual place
that like i i went to go to and like i'm
going there for a year so like
it's a little different but still
oh the
construction
literal jackhammering
okay well i think i got to eight
and i definitely this video is long
enough so i am going to say goodbye if
you have any more questions about like
studying abroad and like i want to make
like more like legit travel tips like
these are more like floaty like life
lesson like travel tips i have like
concrete ones like of things for you to
join things for you to do like i have
all of those ideas in my head so if you
have any questions or like you want me
to further elaborate in another video
please comment down below and subscribe
because i post new videos every friday
thank you for watching
[Music]
ah
[Music]
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