Fish Out of Water? One Fish.
“Like a fish out of water.”
I apparently have to look forward to that feeling when I reach London in less than 24 hours. I’ve been reading about study abroad and how students should prepare for the experience. The pamphlet my older brother (who studied abroad in Japan) gave me opens up with a simile:
“The feeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place. Like a fish out of water.”
I’m supposed to be preparing for culture shock¬– the physical and emotional discomfort one suffers when moving to a new and different environment. I guess that is the trade-off for “embarking on a journey that will change you forever.” (That is what the British Council Pre-Departure guide is promising me.) In exchange for feeling out of place for a little while, I’ll learn to thrive off the challenge of facing something new.
And I’m pretty sure that everyday I’ll be facing something new. No matter how much I read about culture shock or how many tips for transitioning I try to grasp, I know I’m going to feel lost. I know I’m going to be confused when someone calls their underwear “pants” and their pants “trousers.” I know I’m going to feel uncomfortable and uncertain and question whether I should have ever left the security of home.
And I am excited about feeling all of that. I am excited about the fleet of butterflies that will settle into my stomach for the next month. If I stayed at SMU, I could describe to you now pretty much everything that is going to happen in the next year. But I am going to the University College in London, and I have no idea what to expect.
I’ll be blogging about my experience studying abroad and the observations I make during everyday life. I’ve never lived away from home. I’ve never been to London, but it will be my home for the next nine months, and I will chronicle the trials, triumphs, and general craziness that I’m guessing will add up to one heck of an adventure.
I apparently have to look forward to that feeling when I reach London in less than 24 hours. I’ve been reading about study abroad and how students should prepare for the experience. The pamphlet my older brother (who studied abroad in Japan) gave me opens up with a simile:
“The feeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place. Like a fish out of water.”
I’m supposed to be preparing for culture shock¬– the physical and emotional discomfort one suffers when moving to a new and different environment. I guess that is the trade-off for “embarking on a journey that will change you forever.” (That is what the British Council Pre-Departure guide is promising me.) In exchange for feeling out of place for a little while, I’ll learn to thrive off the challenge of facing something new.
And I’m pretty sure that everyday I’ll be facing something new. No matter how much I read about culture shock or how many tips for transitioning I try to grasp, I know I’m going to feel lost. I know I’m going to be confused when someone calls their underwear “pants” and their pants “trousers.” I know I’m going to feel uncomfortable and uncertain and question whether I should have ever left the security of home.
And I am excited about feeling all of that. I am excited about the fleet of butterflies that will settle into my stomach for the next month. If I stayed at SMU, I could describe to you now pretty much everything that is going to happen in the next year. But I am going to the University College in London, and I have no idea what to expect.
I’ll be blogging about my experience studying abroad and the observations I make during everyday life. I’ve never lived away from home. I’ve never been to London, but it will be my home for the next nine months, and I will chronicle the trials, triumphs, and general craziness that I’m guessing will add up to one heck of an adventure.
