Preparing to leave the states this whole time meant more than simply packing for study abroad. I have dreamt of studying abroad for college since I was a little girl, living in Germany, and heartbroken that I was moving back to the States. Afterwards, in high school, as I clicked through career options and college websites on my computer, the IBEA cohort, a chance to study abroad for three semesters, in three different continents, snatched my attention. Now, here I am, part of IBEA generation 9, preparing for my first semester of a two year journey.
I have only been back to Europe twice since I moved from Ramstein Air Force base, in Germany, to the US in 2016. So, I sort of halfway know what to expect. I am going to be reliving what was familiar to me during my childhood, while discovering everything new and scary at 19. I am a very sentimental person, so I tried to mellow down my excitement for this adventure, in order to stay present with family and friends during my last few weeks at home. Based on what I did, here is my mindset advice for the weeks leading up to a study abroad departure.
1. Get your priorities straight
This has become an essential part of my life, especially since the start of college, but I continue to find it important for everything I do. Make a note of family members, hometown friends, college friends, restaurants, parks, or anything else you want to see or spend time on/with before you leave. This helps you minimize regret and choose what’s important to you unapologetically.
2. Pack a capsule wardrobe
Bring the clothes you tend to reach for every week and that can be paired together in many different ways. Keep layering and multiple seasons in mind, depending on where you will be! Also, I packed for the person I want to be abroad, leaning towards more classy and simple pieces. How I dress is incredibly important to me so I packed smart, but still not an extremely light amount, like others may recommend for abroad.
3. Start packing ahead of time
I am usually a last minute packer, but my parents HEAVILY encouraged me to pack early. This definitely helped, as I laid out some clothes and would change my mind and rearrange things regularly until I needed to actually pack and zip up the bags. I made a list on my phone about two or three weeks before departure and continued adding and deleting items from it whenever an idea popped up in my mind. An unexpected addition to keep on your radar; rearranging things for the right weight in each bag may take more time than you think.
4. Take it all in!
It can be so easy to spend all of break or even the semester before you go abroad having your international travels and experiences on your mind, but you may miss things right in front of your face in the present. I fall victim to this often when there is so much in the future to look forward to. This is a good thing! But maybe try to ground yourself. I had a surgery over Christmas break, so the grounding part was quite literal because I sat on my couch for ten days straight. However, after healing, I spent time with loved ones everyday, enjoyed my mom’s cooking, tried to stay off my phone, and took the time to appreciate my hometown, knowing I will miss it all soon.
Those are my tips so far! I am so excited for these upcoming stories and a new life! Thanks for following along and good luck if you are packing up for travel soon :)
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