5 things I wish I knew about being an international student in university

You pack your bags, say goodbye to your high school friends and parents, and jump on a flight to an entirely new country. This is a new chapter for you. An opportunity to run as far away as possible from the old rules you’ve accustomed to. A new start!

This was the case for me. I packed my bags and flew across the world feeling nothing but excitement. I found new friends and fell into a new routine. Everything was like an adventure, Yet, some days as an international student are harder than others. Here are 5 things that I wish I knew before I made that flight.

1. Things will never be the same again.  

Going back home in the summer after my first year of university, I realized how different the house felt and how “home” would never feel the same way that it did before. It was strange to know that a new part of my life had begun in a different place. Being encased in comfort and familiarity again this summer, it was hard to leave and go back to university for my second year. Being in a new country means finding new ideas of comfort; You can no longer rely on the same ways of living that you had in the past. No matter how many times you call your parents or your friends from home, things won’t be the same. 

2. You will feel lonely, no matter how many friends you make.

Although change is nice and exciting, there is almost always a time when you will feel lonely in a new country. Going to university means a whole lot more freedom and responsibility. It also means that finding the right people to hang out with is also your responsibility. Although having a lot of friends can feel good, there’s just something about not being in your home country that can hit you suddenly and leave you completely blindsided. You’re hyperaware that you are not eating the same foods that you did before. Even the simplest things, such as transportation are different. It’s jarring and you may start to feel like an outsider. You won’t feel lonely all the time, but it’ll still be there and that’s okay!.

3. You’ll find yourself clinging to the past and your home country.

Some of the things that you’ll find yourself doing unconsciously are buying your local cuisine and looking at old photos. Even though this new country could bring so much joy and wonder, you’re going to start craving foods that bring you comfort; foods that you’re used to. The food that they sell in this country will never taste as good as the food back home and you might even end up resorting to your own cooking. The memories you had in your home country start to appear in your mind and you might even start to scroll through photos of your favourite reading place, your favourite cafe and your favourite neighbourhood back at home. 

4. Humour and conversations are going to be different. 

A conversation becomes difficult. Something I wish I had known was how difficult it was going to be to join in on a conversation. This new country has a different set of norms and different ideas of what is funny or interesting. A conversation that you found hilarious in your home country may sound boring and confusing in this one. You might think that understanding the language and pop culture will allow you to fit in right away, but sometimes that isn’t enough. You might find yourself confused and wish that you were back at home where everyone understood you. 

5. It’ll take time to adjust. 

The final thing to note is that it’s always going to take time to adjust to things that are uncomfortable and new. Although it’s easy to think that the transition is going to be seamless, putting it into practice is a whole different story. It’s going to take lots of time to fully adjust and learn new ways of life, but it’ll be worth it in the end. I hope that other international kids know that it’s okay to feel lonely and that everyone grows and learns how to adapt at different paces. 

These points seem to talk about the negative aspects of being in a new country. However! there are many good things that have come out of my experience as well. For starters, I’ve met new friends and experienced new traditions. For Thanksgiving, my roommates and I enjoyed ‘Friendsgiving’, where we each brought food and ate together, listing the things we were thankful for. Learning about the ways that my friends here have grown up and the experiences that they’ve had lets me understand perspectives that I hadn’t known before. The community at my university is amazing and I find myself joining all sorts of events. Some days I walk out of my house, take in my new surroundings, and awe at the fact that this is my new life! Things seem so different and yet, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything else.