Choosing to study abroad is scary regardless of how many people will tell you it is the opportunity of a lifetime. Most of the people that you will talk to haven’t been in your shoes and therefore, they don’t necessarily understand the complex emotions that might come with leaving home. It is very important to keep in mind that this is your experience and it doesn’t have to meet anyone’s expectations but yours.

Not everything is going to go right. You might decide on a location just to find out that they don’t have your program or you might find the perfect flight just to refresh and realize that it is suddenly $1,000 more expensive than it was 5 minutes ago. It is going to be fine. There are so many thing that you have to get in order before you are ready to go abroad. Don’t let one thing deter you from having a positive outlook on the experience.

Finally, consider what YOU want. You can ask the opinion of everyone that you know but this is ultimately your trip and you won’t be happy if you do what you are told rather than what you are comfortable with. If money is the problem, apply for scholarships. If your family isn’t on board, explain to them how important this is to you. Everything will fall in place if you listen to what you want.

There are a lot of things that you plan for when you know that you are going to live in another country for any period of time. You plan out how to get cash in the proper currency before arriving. You plan to say goodbye to your friends and family for a bit. You do not plan where you’re going to buy your pillow that first night.

I arrived to my accommodation knowing that there were many essentials that I was going to have to purchase. I think that just comes with the fact that you are expected to pack 5 months worth of items in 50 pounds or less in order to get here in the first place. I knew that I was going to need bedding, towels, kitchen essentials, shampoo, etc. I did not know that I was going to go to three stores and none would have a duvet that would fit my bed. The first night I slept with the smallest blanket that only covered my feet and arms at the same time if I curled into a ball. Scotland is not a warm country either and I sure was reminded of that fact throughout the night. The moral of the story is that even though that night sucked, I work up the next day and figured it out. Even if one night isn’t the best, get up the next day with a good outlook. I figured somewhere had to have a single duvet and I just needed to find that place.

What I also wasn’t exactly expecting was the fact that when I did happen to find the duvet, I was going to have to walk with it all the way back to the accommodation. In the US we really take our cars for granted. If something is over 10 minutes away we will drive. In most European countries, people walk everywhere. It is normal to have a 30-40 minute walk in the cold and think nothing of it. This includes when you go shopping for clothes, groceries, or even a duvet. I am under the strong belief that this completely sucks but you get used to it rather quickly.

Also they make you pay for bags and to go coffee cups because the environment is important to them. So bring your own if you don’t want the extra charge. I had so many TJMaxx reusable bags that would have saved my life (and wallet) if only I had thought to bring them to Europe.

Finally, Scotland is windy, hilly, and my favorite place on Earth. That’s that.