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From Bogotá to Hamburg
7 February 2019
Moving abroad can bring a roller coaster of emotions. SELCS student Sara Cordovez tries to unpick these feelings as she is sitting in the airport lounge in her home city Bogotá, waiting to board the flight to her Erasmus+ destination, Hamburg.
Writing this from the airport seems so poetic: the air rushes with life yet I feel a curious calmness taking over me as I prepare to board the plane that will take my from my home, Colombia, to my future home for the year: Hamburg. My year abroad hasn’t started yet but what no one tells you (or they try, but you don’t really listen), is that your study abroad experience starts well before you set foot in the country of your placement…
Evidence A: forms. After enduring the burden of unhealthy amounts of bureaucracy by extending my Tier 4 visa in the UK, applying for my German national visa in Colombia and getting ready to apply for my German residence permit as soon as I land, I think it is safe to say I have learned a lot about visas and the lesson can be summarized in: time is of the essence! This also applies to Erasmus, insurance, dorms and all other forms you will have to fill. Do not procrastinate forms, I plead! Make the list of what you need to present, apply and just get it over with, rip the bureaucratic band-aid and be free from the stress.
Evidence B: packing. I have been living outside of my home country since I am 16, yet packing still gives me literal nightmares! But as with most things in life, the only way out is through, so I charged forth and packed my 2 bags stressfully, but successfully. I also have to go and pick up a few things I left in London (crossing the Atlantic is a chore), so I’ll have the chance to see my friends again!
Evidence C: expectation. I have tried to prepare myself for what is to come in the next year, with various degrees of angst, anticipation, nervousness and eagerness. Below is a table I made to convince myself everything will be fine, because it will be! I hope it helps you too:
| Feelings to expect when travelling to your year abroad placement | What to do about it |
| Anxiety of not knowing what to expect | Anxiety is just excitement intermingled with fear! What-ifs of not making friends, not getting used to the pace, not feeling comfortable can all be stopped with one question: would it be that bad? 99.9% of the time, the answer is a big ‘NO’! |
| Worry over your ability to achieve the academic results needed | Familiarize yourself with your department’s criteria for year abroad students. Knowing how many points/credits/forms are required will make you feel like you know the playing field. |
| Stress about the probable culture shocks you will encounter | I have one solution for this: be curious! Make curiosity your very first instinct when encountering a cultural situation you do not understand because it differs from your own background, try to comprehend with no desire to pass judgement. |
| Terror over having to speak your target language | Remember that the biggest parts of communication are in: attitude, facial expressions and mannerisms, with spoken language only a small part! Be open and perfect the ‘excuse me, can you repeat that for me?’ and the ‘how do you say ‘x’?’. You’re there to learn so give yourself the chance to learn by making mistakes! |
Not everyone decides to go on a year abroad, so I am feeling proud and excited for what is to come, and I chose to leave the bag of fear, shyness and nervousness behind, I doubt I’ll need it abroad!
Bogota Airport
By Sara Cordovez Lopez