4 Ways to Get Over Post Study Abroad Blues | Student Blog from Scotland

Coming back home from Scotland, I experienced my after study abroad high. The “crash feeling” is the worst. 

I just spent 28 days and countless hours with the same people, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them. Now I’m back in the real world, dealing with my after study abroad high.

The only way I can really describe the feeling is that it is similar to  the feeling after you go to a concert. You’re so excited to see your favorite band/singer, you look forward to this concert for months and when it happens, it goes by so fast that you don’t have time to appreciate it. Then the after-concert high hits, and you sit around watching videos from the concert and looking at photos while listening to the band/singer albums for days afterwards. You forget what it’s like to not look forward to something. That’s how my after abroad high is. 

I’ve been home for a little more than 48 hours and I have not yet unpacked my suitcases or uploaded photos. But I have talked to my two closest friends from abroad countless times. I feel a bit lost about what to do now. I had been looking forward to the trip to Scotland for two full years, saving every last penny I made to make this trip as perfect as it could be. Now I can’t stop looking at my photos and videos and wishing I was back in Scotland. 

It’s hard not to keep looking back, and wishing that I did the two-month-long program instead of the one-month-program. But as I am writing this, I realized that my summer in Scotland was just the beginning of my adventures. This was my first leap “over the pond” and it won’t be my last. 

To help myself get over the crash I created a to do list:

1. Unpack suitcases​

2. Go through photos​

3. Send out postcards​

4. Start planning my next trip​

Now that I’ve caught the travel bug, I can’t see myself staying in one place for long, so I’ve started thinking of the next big adventure to help me get over this past one. 

My time in Scotland has made me open up to people faster and excited to experience different cultures. I will never forget my 28 days, and the people I met during that time. 

Learn more about Laura’s program in Scotland!