They say the truest support we can offer those in need is not to take the burden from them, but to call out their best self so that they may be able to bear it: I was lucky enough to find such support within my first week of arriving in Spain. Your Year Abroad is … Continue reading Find Your Support – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
I have severe anxiety and depression and deciding to move abroad scared me more than anything in my life ever has. I was terrified of what was going to happen without immediate availability to my support system (Wow!, what a lighthearted way to start an article!). Once abroad, it took me a long time to … Continue reading How to practice self care abroad – Isabel Lohr
The prospect of studying abroad might be quite daunting especially if you are not sure that you will get support and help that you need. I am here to tell you that with a good amount of research and timely communication with IFSA staff, you should be able to avoid possible problems and get the … Continue reading 5 Things Students with Special Needs Must Know about Studying Abroad with IFSA – Bak Baitan
As the end of the semester approaches, I wanted to talk about feeling down during your time abroad. Of course at the beginning most of us were beyond excited, seeing every part of the daily routine as new and interesting since it differs so much from the one we had back home. However, when novelty … Continue reading Feeling blue during your time abroad – Delphine Martineau
When I first started talking about my Year Abroad my preferred phrase seemed to be: ‘I won’t be back until September!’ I was adamant that if I was going abroad, I would be staying abroad: for why would I want to waste my time and money going back to England? This year I have understood … Continue reading Going Home – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
Listen to your body. One step at a time. Slowly slowly, as my Nonna always used to say. But I didn’t go slowly slowly. I was so determined to make this my year that I burnt myself out within the first month. For the last 4 weeks I have seen nothing but doctor’s rooms and … Continue reading Descansa – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
This is not only an important year for me; being my Year Abroad working for the British Council as an English Language Assistant in Andalusia, Spain: but it is also the year I make everything right. For a long time, I have considered myself a disappointment, a failure, and I have chosen to share my … Continue reading Adapt and Overcome – Tiffany Maria Christopher-Ward
I always knew that I was an introverted person, but I did not know that I have social anxiety until the second year of college. I realized that had felt stressed and anxious in almost all social settings: from a theater rehearsal room, a Friday night party, or the cafeteria resounded with American small talks, … Continue reading Living with Social Anxiety Abroad
In my experience, I have experienced similar difficulties with microaggressions, also known as “casual racism” in London, Like the United States, the UK has its own set of racial tensions that inhabit college campuses and the greater London community. In the conversations that I have had with other students of color, similar sentiments about the development of … Continue reading Discussing Race and Identity – Rachel Godfrey
Last autumn, I almost decided against studying abroad in London; I thought it was too expensive, I wouldn’t be able to work, I didn’t want to leave my boyfriend and friends, I wasn’t sure if it would affect my track to graduation. Quite simply, I was scared. Then my boyfriend asked me the most perfect … Continue reading Can I do solo travel if I have anxiety? – Deryn Susman
I have always felt uncomfortable about the phrase “coming out” because of the inherent implication about there being a “normal” or “standard” sexuality, while others are regarded as “other” or “strange.” This past summer, I had to wrestle with this concept. I spent a lot of time thinking about my own sexuality. After many conversations … Continue reading Coming Out: The Abroad Edition – Rachel Godfrey
