They say to travel is to live, and after your semester-long whirlwind abroad, you couldn’t agree more. It’s unfortunate, but a semester only lasts so long and never have you felt the pain of a semester’s end more than when you waved goodbye to adventure and hopped on a plane back to America. It was great to reunite with friends and family, but let’s be honest, how can life at home ever compare to the magical few months you spent exploring another country? America is great, but don’t deny your post-abroad struggle. Here are 15 signs that you’re desperately missing abroad life:
1. You eagerly wait for Thursdays so you can make your Instagram #TBT a really touristy picture of yourself with the caption “take me back.”
2. Every so often you find a euro/pound/etc. in your wallet and cry a little bit.
3. You Facebook stalk yourself every two weeks to remind yourself that your time abroad wasn’t just a dream.
4. You insert yourself into any conversation that even remotely relates to the country you studied in.
5. When younger people are hesitant about going abroad, it becomes your personal duty to convince them to make the right decision.
6. You occasionally check the cost of plane tickets back to the place you studied.
7. You talk about your time abroad so often that your friends tell you you’re living in the past.
8. Boys without accents really have no appeal to you anymore.
9. When you booked your spring break trip, you couldn’t believe how expensive it was. RyanAir would have taken you there for like, $20.
10. At least 45% of your sentences begin with “When I was abroad…”
11. You resent ice cream for not being gelato.
12. You still haven’t gotten back into the swing of “real classes” and “homework.”
13. You still abide by the strict “No Judgment Policy” that carried you and your abroad friends through four months of questionable behavior.
14. You only spent four months away, but you consider yourself the most cultured one out of all your friends.
15. You frequently remind your abroad friends, “No one gets me like you guys do.” What you really mean is, “No one has seen me gain so much weight and make so many poor decisions in such a short period of time and still loved me like you guys do.”