YEAR ABROAD • WHAT I’VE LEARNED, TWO MONTHS IN

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Last weekend marked eight weeks since I arrived in Buenos Aires, and it’s been quite the experience so far. Before I came, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect of my year abroad, but I had lots of ideas about how I wanted to spend my time – mostly lounging in cafés (double tick) and chatting up Argentinians in perfect Spanish (there’s still plenty of time). I was given a lot of advice, too – both solicited and unasked for. I think it’s important to reflect regularly to get the most out of the experience, so here’s what I’ve learned about living abroad in the first two months! 

It’s true – travel is an education unlike any other

Buenos Aires is well known for being a very international city, despite the headache that is personal finance in Argentina as a foreigner. Since I’ve been here, I’ve made friends from various parts of the globe – all over Latin America, North America, Europe, and the Middle East, and the coming together of these different cultures away from my own home has thrown the different attitudes present among people of my own age group into relief. I’ve met loads of interesting people and learned about all sorts of random things, such as employment practices in the Italian financial police, and the trials of becoming a professional tennis player in Armenia and a doctor in Brazil. On top of these, living life in a country in the grip of populism and experiencing rapid inflation, rather than the neoliberal politics which dominate Western Europe, is helping me on my quest to develop a less Eurocentric worldview. Being immersed in youth culture has also taught me a lot of vernacular vocab such as ‘cheerleader’, ‘nightclub’ and ‘fork’ (which I always used to forget!) – useful things, you understand – that I’ve never needed to use in my uni translations, which, being a business student, tend to be about things like the state of the Caribbean private sector and ways to make enterprises more climate-friendly.

‘Say yes to anything’ is absolute BS

One of the most common pieces of advice I’ve been given about spending a year abroad is ‘say yes to anything’, and frankly, it’s probably the stupidest thing anyone’s ever told me. I mean, define ‘anything’. Adopting all the strays in Argentina? Hacking a government agency? Dropping out of uni and joining a cartel? No? So not anything, then. If you’re preparing for an extended stay abroad, be open to new experiences, of course, and say yes to things even if you’re not feeling quite up to socialising – I’ve found it can really help me feel less stressed and homesick. But you don’t have to say yes to anything and everything. If it’s way out of your budget, with people you know will pressure you to do things you don’t want to, or if you’ve been alternately working and partying for four straight days and just need a good night’s sleep, thank you very much, then you’re entitled to take some time to yourself. Self-care is essential, and chances are there’ll be another opportunity to do the thing a couple of weeks later anyway.  

Lists work

When I got here, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do and see in this city, and I’ve been adding to it and ticking them off ever since. If I find myself bored and with a few hours to spare, I’ll just refer to my notebook, rather than feeling frustrated and like I’m wasting my time here. Plus, you’ve got a stock of ideas ready for all moods, weather conditions, times of day, and group sizes. Make sure you add in the opening hours and prices when making the list – some museums might be free for students on a certain day, or open and close at times inconsistent with regular business hours in the UK, so preparation is key to avoiding disappointment, overpayment and wasted Tube journeys. My list includes museums, art galleries, government buildings, places of worship, shops, cafés, restaurants, bars, clubs, theatres, open-air art, monuments, specific dishes to try, areas of town to explore – the longer and more detailed you can make your list, the better. There’s a real sense of satisfaction from ticking things off as you get to know your new home!

Prioritise health for your year abroad

Before leaving, I hadn’t expected to feel as homesick as I have over the past two months. The urge to comfort eat and abandon my regular fitness program has been hard to overcome, and particularly when I first arrived, the stress that I wasn’t doing any exercise really weighed on my mind. I felt much happier once I’d found a good dance studio close to my office and booked a course of classes (it’s called Art Dance Studio, if you’re interested). I mention in this post how much easier it is to get into a good fitness routine if you start on the right foot – for this reason, I strongly recommend researching how you’ll keep your fitness level up in your new home before you leave for your year abroad, although it’s also best to see where you’ll be training in person before you pay anything. Equally – and especially important if you’ve suffered from mental health issues in the past – have a chat with a therapist well before you leave about developing healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, homesickness, and loneliness, because those first few weeks are tough emotionally.

So far, my year abroad has been a total rollercoaster, and I doubt it’ll let up any time soon! As always, keeping busy has definitely been key to staying in a positive mindset, as has reflecting on the silver linings of any disappointments – living abroad is a big learning curve!