After spending more than four months living and studying in Scotland, I returned home to Birmingham three days ago. In these first few days, my adjustment back to life in the U.S. has been harder than I had expected. My body wakes me up by 5 each morning (noon in Scotland) and is exhausted by 8 pm (2 am). I also apparently had forgotten just how hot summers in Alabama could be, and it’s only early June. I don’t just miss the cooler weather, I miss all the friends I made while abroad, both from the U.S. and all across Europe. However, when I first committed to studying abroad for the final semester of my undergraduate career, I questioned whether I had made the right decision to leave behind my friends and family for a foreign country at the time when I should have been saying my final goodbyes to the place I had called home for the last three and a half years. Although leaving Tuscaloosa was bittersweet, I cannot express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to explore a new part of the world outside the state and country where I have lived my whole life. Studying at the University of St Andrews has made me appreciate certain aspects about the University of Alabama that I had taken for granted before, such as how our large student body encompasses so many different backgrounds, interests, and life stories, and highlighted areas where UA can still improve, such as by increasing commitment to a more environmentally-conscious and sustainable campus. Overall, studying at St Andrews has been one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life, and I highly recommend to anyone thinking about studying abroad to take the leap of faith and do it.
