Almost 6 months after studying abroad in Amiens, France, I’m back home like nothing happened at all. But that couldn’t be less true! Throughout my study abroad experience, I learned more about myself and my own culture, as well as French customs, which I’ve begun to integrate into my lifestyle.
I wasn’t prepared for how it would feel to be back home after the longest time away, but I knew it would be a wave I’d learn how to surf. Here are a few ways that I'm transitioning to being back in the U.S. and all of the things I've learned since being away:
*Photos and Text by Madison Knapp
Three bus rides, one train, one plane, a final car ride and 22 hours later, I was back home from studying abroad. I couldn’t help but have a “full circle” moment when I was going back to the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. I had only taken that bus-to-train route one other time, the day I arrived in France.
Even though 22 hours is a long time to travel, it felt infinitely short compared to my time abroad. I kept wondering, “How can it be this quick to get back home when I feel like a completely different person?” It did feel a little bit like taking a step back from everything I’ve gained while being abroad, no matter how grateful I am to be back.
Nothing could have prepared me for the first few days back, experiencing culture shock in my hometown. I struggled to have conversations with customer service employees in English, even though it’s my native language! During the first few days, I awkwardly got through conversations because I wasn’t used to the American cadence anymore.
For example, it suddenly felt weird to ask how someone was doing at the start of every conversation. In France, you don’t do that with an employee at a store you’re buying something at. I felt like an outsider those first few days, because these phrases and habits suddenly felt so foreign to me.
The biggest thing, however, is the absence of French. I’ve become used to the French background noise, and now, when I hear a passing conversation in English that I can understand fully, it feels so odd to suddenly understand everything people are saying. I had gotten used to not knowing everything, of filling in the gaps and using context clues.
I hate to say it, but I miss the European bottle caps that don’t fully detach from the top of the bottle when you’re drinking something. It feels so odd to have to hold on to the cap while drinking from a plastic bottle, just because I’ve become so accustomed to the European style of plastic bottles. It’s little things like this that I'll have to get used to again.
When I woke up at five in the morning each day after I got back, I realized that I actually had jet lag. I’ve been to Europe a couple of times before, and I haven’t experienced much jet lag when coming back to the United States. But this time was different; I woke up way too early for a solid week before getting fully adjusted.
The toughest question I’ve been asked while being back: What was your favorite experience? I was not prepared for the kinds of questions my friends and family would ask me, like what the best food or experience I had while abroad was. Even my dentist asked me these questions, and that’s when I knew I needed to start having some responses in my back pocket.
I’ve also realized the importance of just being honest: I loved everything. Even the mistakes I’ve made abroad helped me grow and find myself. Even with the chance to be abroad through the seasons, from winter to late spring, each part feels different from the others. Amiens in winter is not the same as Amiens in spring, and I learned to appreciate this place I was in, through it all.
When I returned home to the US, I had the weirdest feeling, because just a couple of days ago, I was somewhere completely different. Nobody prepares you for how big a change it is, and it occurs in just 24 hours. One day you’re in France with all your new friends and new experiences, and one plane ride later, you’re back home and everything is different.
When I first decided to study abroad, I was scared out of my mind, and I honestly didn’t really have any interest in doing it. But some part of me told me that I needed to go, that I would grow so much and have an incredible time. I’m glad that voice was in my head, because it was right.
Through the tough parts of being away from home for so long and struggling with language barriers, it all proved to be worth it, and now I have the experiences of a lifetime because of the Study Abroad program at UM. I couldn’t have done so well without the help of the Global Engagement Office who prepared me for this experience.
My Study Abroad Experience Part 1 – Getting There
My Study Abroad Experience Part 2 – Living in France
Things I Wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad