Things I Wish I Knew Before Going Abroad

Moving to a different country can possibly feel overwhelming and maybe scary. This is because of the language barriers, time difference, and large distance away from ‘home’. I spent countless hours shopping for things that I thought I would need as well as packing everything into two suitcases. This is an extremely daunting task, that turned out to be less necessary than I expected. As I have adjusted to living in Barcelona over the past nine weeks, I have learned that there are certain things you cannot prepare for. Even if you manage to buy and pack everything you think you need, there will still be things you forget and there will be things that you do not need whatsoever. Something else that I wish I knew before going abroad is that there will be a lot of brand new situations that will be overwhelming. These situations will force you to navigate through a brand new experience. The first time this happened to me in Barcelona was when I was trying to figure out how to use the Metro. Now, nine weeks later, I use the Metro daily and have adjusted to the other cultural differences between Spain and the United States. These situations, although uncomfortable, help you to grow as a person as well as familiarize yourself with your new country.