07
CARDIFF ABROAD - OCTOBER 2019
By loneliness, I mean having a form of jetlag from life at home. It is difficult to keep up with the lives of people that I care about at home. There are moments and experiences I have had here where I feel this odd feeling because it would be something I would have wanted to experience with certain people and then I realise that they are not here.
The way that I treat this feeling is to not to overcrowd myself with things to do, but to create different ways to stay connected with those at home; I Skype daily with my family and we have created a WhatsApp group chat so that we can all share what is happening with our lives; I Skype my boyfriend once a week and we talk most days (as we both adjust to our lives in European countries); and I have mass catchup sessions with my friends at Cardiff.
Taking photos and spreading them on my social media has also been a way to stay connected, so that those at home feel like they are with me and vice-versa.
Communication is so important to stop isolation and allowing this feeling to overwhelm you. For this reason I spend a lot of time at Sognsvann [A lake just outside of Oslo], as a soothing technique for the stress that missing people brings as it is so easy to become overwhelmed in this situation.
Making friends is so vital to have an enriching experience when studying abroad, but addressing that it's not an easy task to leave the life you have made for yourself at home behind is also a crucial hurdle to tackle.
Fancy blogging about your time abroad for Global Opportunities?
We're still looking for enthusiastic students who are currently abroad to share their
experiences and write for our blog pages. We’d love to read all about all your
discoveries and adventures during your time abroad!
If you're interested, please get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]
Take a look at the Globetrotters page to read what previous and current students
experienced during their time abroad.
Tammy shared her experience, so what's stopping you?
blogging as a Globetrotter
Tammy is a 3rd year BA Philosophy student currently studying
at the University of Oslo through the Erasmus+ Programme.
Read more of her blogs by clicking here