Don’t believe a word of it. Studying abroad is not about cultural experience, learning a new language or seeing the world. Studying abroad is about two suitcases.
That’s all you get. Two suitcases. When you first stare into the void of two of the largest, most cavernous beasts of suitcases that you were able to find, you have visions of happily folding clothes and adding books as an afterthought for reading in the coming year. You imagine throwing in a camera and a favorite stuffed animal and trudging off to the airport with your suitcases bouncing along happily beside you—this is a fantasy. Sooner rather than later you will understand that coats are your enemy, books are luxuries you cannot afford and you and Teddy will be spending your first year apart. And suitcases do not bounce—they will groan, creak, and thud, but they will never bounce.
Lost in an unfamiliar labyrinth of streets without names, those suitcases become lead albatrosses, weighing you down … down ….down … until you find your apartment and have to go up … up … up … to your apartment on the top floor of an elevator-less building. And then you unpack, glad to see every article that reminds you of home and store the suitcases until 9 months later … or so you think. You may have forgotten your suitcases but they never forget you. They stare out at you, glaring, mocking and smirking at each new purchase, every postcard and souvenir that you acquire.
Sometime after midway through your stay, you realize that you will at some point be returning home and you now have twice as much stuff as you came with. Maybe you are attempting to become a fashionista with all the latest trends from Europe, hoping to impress your friends back at Georgetown with a new kind of collar that can be popped more sharply than all the rest. Perhaps your parents are so worried about you in that faraway land that they are constantly sending you trinkets and gadgets and books and reminders of home. Or maybe you are that rare generous person who wants friends and family at home to know that you have been thinking about them— missing them—this year, and you have thoughtfully bought gifts for all your loved ones. Whatever may be the case, you will undoubtedly begin to worry. But those suitcases are the same size, and the weight limit has not been raised, and you are in big trouble, my friend.
Desperation sets in. You start gifting your belongings left and right—but only the stuff that you no longer want and no one else would want either. You toy with the idea of forcing a friend to visit you and take home a suitcase filled with junk, but unfortunately friends willing to make the sacrifice are few and far between. Soon you cannot afford anything because you are dealing in a new currency: not the British pound sterling, Chinese yuan or even the Euro. You are now dealing in square inches. That dirt cheap fabulous sweater? Too thick! Sexy high-heeled strappy shoes? Too pointy! Handkerchiefs and socks are now the only non-consumable item you allow yourself to buy.
The day has not yet come for me to leave for home, but it is looming on the horizon, coming ever closer. That’s why I plan to wear boots, tights, normal socks, soccer socks, spandex, a sports bra, my bathing suit, a tank top, a short-sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, coat, mittens and scarf on the plane. God, I hope it’s a cold flight.
