Back to Britain after a year abroad

Without a doubt, my year abroad changed my life. I’d lived independently at university for two years, yet there’s something about being thrown to the other side of the world and having to sort everything out for yourself that changed everything. Putting myself in the deep end was the life boost that I needed.

Everything became an adventure on my year abroad, especially being in Arizona where national parks and giant monuments are just a short drive away. Going to places close to me were exciting. It wasn’t just simply going to malls and new coffee chains. Driving simply two hours north, I was at Antelope Canyon, a world-renowned location as made famous in Britney Spears’ “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” music video. Just a few hours away from me was Los Angeles, a city I’d always dreamed of visiting became a reality and walking down Hollywood Boulevard on Black Friday was a pinch-me moment I’ll always be grateful for.

Before going on a year aboard, you’re warned about ‘culture shock’: a disorienting feeling when you’re placed in an unfamiliar culture

When I’d leave my dorm room, I would wake up to the San Francisco Peaks. It was hard to fathom that being greeted to a snow-topped mountain every morning, whatever time of year was different. It became normal.

Before going on a year aboard, you’re warned about ‘culture shock’: a disorienting feeling when you’re placed in an unfamiliar culture. This didn’t hit me as such, yet the ‘reverse culture shock’ has been a struggle to work with, even now. After such an exciting year, returning to the UK where I had no life plan sorted felt like my life was beginning to plateau.

Now, I’ve been back in the UK for over a year after my year abroad. However, adjusting to British life after a year in which I fully immersed myself in all things American culture is still posing its difficulties to this day. Coming back from the United States, I find myself craving adventure more than ever. Most of this comes down to my year abroad not counting towards my degree classification, so I felt as though I had to go on as many adventures as possible to make the most out of the year. Yet, this didn’t mean all fun and games, as I had to constantly keep on top of my classes.

Most times I’m shopping on the high street, anything I see with resemblance to Phoenix, cacti or the desert, I feel inclined to buy as it’s just so “year abroad”

I know that I’m not alone in being a year abroad student who has a constant sense of wanderlust. When returning with my British friends, who were also on a year abroad, we’re always reminiscing of our American adventures. Doing this is cathartic, as it releases the stress of current situations to focus on happier times.

One of the hardest parts of returning is realizing that things changed while you were away. Your friends who didn’t do a year abroad also moved on with their lives, at the expense of your previous friendship. Coming back from the US, I felt lonely. There would be some days where I’d just break down with tears because the reverse culture shock was hard to get through. I wasn’t too sure how I felt, so the best way to release my emotions was to cry. It felt as though I didn’t really have anyone in close proximity to that I could confide with. People who I would normally talk to wouldn’t respond to my messages. The is feeling of alienation is hard to get rid of, and it’s something I am still contending with. It’s something that no global cultural training can prepare you for, but your circles will definitely change. This isn’t always a bad thing, but it made adjusting to British life after such a hectic year abroad that little bit harder.

I don’t think I’ll ever fully adjust to British life. Most times I’m shopping on the high street, anything I see with resemblance to Phoenix, cacti or the desert, I feel inclined to buy as it’s just so “year abroad”. I know that thinking with this mindset is in some ways detrimental, as I’ll never fully ‘fit’ into British culture again.

To use the cliché, I ‘found myself’ on my year abroad

But, I need to remember that I’ve never really ‘fit’ fully into something. My year aborad is just another way that I’m a little bit different from the people around me. Rather than thicking of this as a bad thing, the reverse culture shock process has been teaching me that different is good, and solo travel are okay. As I continue the process of merging my US and my UK lives together, I’m starting to find a new sense of self. To use the cliché, I ‘found myself’ on my year abroad, yet at the expense of friendship and a whole world of change.