Hey guys,
With the end of the semester, I got crazy busy and decided to wait until break to finish up the secrets. I hope you all have had a good semester and are still considering study abroad. Here are the answers to the rest of the secrets I received.
-I'm afraid I will miss out on the lives of my friends and family back home.
I can absolutely understand this fear, and you're not alone. This is one of the reasons I only went for 2 months. The truth is, the time flies by and you will have so many adventures that you won't think about things back home as often as you expected. When you do get homesick, because of course it is inevitable, Skyping with your family and friends will help a lot. Really though, not a whole lot happens around here and you will not regret your time away no matter what happens. I would, however, suggest avoiding going away when someone in your family is about to get married, have a baby, or other big life events like that which have been planned out ahead of time. Just do some planning and you will be glad you went, I promise.
-My fear are the weird bugs overseas.
In my experience, I had no problem with any strange insects or diseases from them. I also went during the winter in Argentina. You can either plan to go during a time where there will not be a huge risk of bugs, or you can go to places like Germany and other countries in Europe that do not have a problem with disease carrying insects that will infect you. Doing some Google searches will help to alleviate your fears about the insects.
-Not being able to find food that I actually eat.
Just like in the US, other countries have plenty of choices for food. I am a vegetarian and so my choices are even limited here, BUT when you sign up for housing there is a section that asks if you have any special meal preferences and you will be placed accordingly. If you are still worried about finding food that you would like, do some research on what each country typically eats and if there are more "American" foods readily available there. Just choose which one fits your meal preferences the best and you will not be disappointed.
-I'm afraid that I would find myself somewhere where no one speaks English or Spanish and I would be completely lost.
Depending on where you choose, the majority of people will speak English. It has become the most universal language of the world, you just have to do some investigating. An example is that in general countries in Europe are going to speak more English than countries in South America or Africa or places like that. Julie Beall-Marshall has traveled quite a bit and I'm sure she would be happy to tell you which countries are more English-speaking that way you can avoid the whole conflict altogether.
-I'm afraid that I will not fit in with the culture I would be studying.
One of the amazing things about people is that we adapt fairly easily. When you go to another country, the beautiful thing is that you don't have to fit in. As long as you're respectful of others' cultures and practices, they will be respectful of yours. Learning from each other is one of the things that makes studying abroad so very interesting and fun. You will adapt to survive without even knowing you're doing it and you will find abilities you never even knew you had. There will be other American students there and the program directors and professors in the universities are accustomed to American students. They will teach you the first week what is offensive and what is acceptable.
-Handicap accessibility through towns in Europe or other countries.
I have to admit that I have never considered this fear before, but after giving this question careful thought I have decided to tell you not to let this fear get in your way. There are people all over the world that are handicapped, so you have the option of asking for a family that has experience with handicaps. The family will know where you will be able to go and they will assist you in any way you need special attention. They will be understanding and accommodating and they will make sure you have the best experience of your life.
-Bureaucracy, the "red tape" involved in the application process of study abroad frustrates me.
Yes, there are quite a few steps involved with studying abroad. That does not mean the experience is not WORTH it, though. Anything worth doing is not going to be easy, and the majority of the application to study abroad is just filling in your basic information. You will have to pay an application fee and you will have to write a short letter about why you want to study abroad, but all in all once you've checked everything off the list that you need to do, there is nothing like that feeling of preparing for a trip and all the excitement of the weeks right before you leave. Once you get done with the application process, as much of a drag that it is, you will forget all about it and be so excited you won't know what to do with yourself.
-Conflict between China and Taiwan.
As much as I've said it here, I cannot say it enough: host families know how to deal with pretty much any conflict you will experience. These people live there, and they are on your side too! They are there to support you and help you in any way they can. If it were absolutely too dangerous or unstable, study abroad programs would never let American students go there. Rely on your host family and others that live there to deal with the country-specific issues that exist.
Now, fellow students, these are all of the secrets I have received. I have done my best to answer your concerns in accordance with my experience and I hope I have helped some of you. If you have any other questions, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me via e-mail: allie.white28@gmail.com OR you can leave a comment below and I will answer it. Above all, I'd like you to know that you have all the tools you need to go to a foreign country, you just don't know it yet. If you put yourself out there, I have no doubt that you will have the time of your life and you will come back a new and better person. Good luck to all of you in your endeavors and remember to use your resources. Take care!
Allie
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