The first few months of a student’s year abroad can be very stressful, exciting and confusing. It’s not only the language barrier that can be a problem for you but getting to know a new place, new people and even a new job if you’re a language assistant like me. So as Christmas approached I was also filling my thoughts with all the things I would do when I saw England again.
However, going home proved to be yet another challenge in itself. Disaster struck as I prepared to get my flight home when I found that I had lost my passport. The thought of being stranded in a foreign country at Christmas was admittedly very distressing. So after ransacking my entire flat and calling everyone I knew, I admitted defeat and made the dreaded call to my parents. Thankfully it turned out that I could get an emergency passport to take me home for the holidays but it meant filling in a lot of paperwork and going to the police!
So there you have it, proof that even the most mundane parts of your year abroad such as travelling home for Christmas, have the potential to become total fiascos, but at least it makes a good story to tell the family!
Would you go home for the holidays or stay to experience it in a different country?