Have you ever scrolled down through someone's Instagram who's studying abroad? I did that, a lot. I can't help but feel jealous because they seemingly look so happy and their feeds is filled with pretty pictures and other fun stuff they do. As I go through the studying abroad experience myself, I get to see the other side of those pictures. Actually, it's more than meets the eye.

Studying abroad is hard. Seriously, it's not just fun and games. People who's considering to study abroad need to not only prepare the tests or motivation letters, but also your readiness to face this new world. From simple things like finding Halal food for my Muslim friends, making sure you're on time for the next bus or train, taking care of your permit and taxes to something daunting like managing your sponsor money. Are you independent enough? Are you up for the challenge of increasing your game in class?  Are you flexible enough? How are you at time management? Here, the standards are different, your classmates are different, the load of reading and assignments are heavy. It is hard work. It's only fitting that the only thing that can give us hope is the travel and the beauty we get to see when we finish the weekly hardship. I would scroll down my feed and say okay next weekend, you get to travel again, but not now. We have to focus on studying/making report. 

If you notice my feed (follow me @heyhanata on Instagram!) I am most active during the weekends. Weekdays are horrible. I have to juggle classes, writing reports, home visits for assignments and thinking about my masters thesis. Most of my grades come from written reports so this makes me particularly anxious. Sometimes they grade you with Good or Satisfactory, or with A, B, C, or D. I have no idea what the criteria is for each grade, which makes one even more anxious. I can't help but feel overwhelmed. Can you relate to this? It's okay! It's a normal phase for sojourners! Remember the phases honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and acceptance? We all go through that eventually. One thing that determines your success is support.

Personally, the key to a successful studying abroad experience is having social support. But, your parents or your closest friends are back home in Indonesia. What do you do? Find someone. Find a group that you belong to. Find human connection. Even the most introverted person will benefit from having a few friends. I joined a Psychology student organisation, join the church choir and do volunteer work once a week. It sounds like much but I need to do that in order to stay connected. On the bright side, you'll meet different people and learn something. Be open to new people, they might turn out to be your new best friend. Now you have more friends!

Studying abroad is certainly not just about pretty pictures on a feed. It's how we get to earn those captures.