Katie Scott has learned that despite picturesque Instagram opportunities, studying abroad is not all Kodak moments.
Sweden, traveling was as easy as hopping on a train in Malmo and arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the short span of about 30 minutes. While it is true that you can experience the best aspects of new and different cultures and can easily travel from Sweden to Denmark by train, this idea of traveling from country to country and exploring aimlessly is not “easy” or simple by any means. You have to be smart, aware and careful with every step you take. You have to be open-minded, but stay true to yourself.
Coming from America and being a newbie to London for this semester, I wondered how I would put my best foot forward when exploring outside of the U.K. I decided to stay open-minded, but remain true to myself. From country to country, things operate very differently. That train from Sweden to Denmark, for example? I learned from Reuters upon arriving to Copenhagen that, “Starting January 4, 2016, all Sweden-bound trains will be stopped for mandatory identification checks.” Even though travellers have been able to cross borders between the two Nordic countries without passports since the late 1950s, “Sweden recently instigated tightened border controls and asylum rules as an attempt to slow an influx of migrants from war-torn Syria and elsewhere,” Reuters reported. It just so happens that these new regulations were put into place the month that I decided to study abroad. Life will always throw you a curveball, so you have to accept that things will never go exactly how you plan them. The passport checks extend the train ride from 31 minutes to an average of 45 minutes. Not only are the stricter checks and added ride time an unexpected inconvenience for me as a traveler, but more-so for the 16,000 people that make the trip every day.
It is key to stay open-minded, and adapt to inconvenience. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Americans wouldn’t normally expect to have such a thorough passport check on a short train ride, especially when it is known that the same precautions are not reciprocated for trains entering Denmark from Sweden, but the country makes the rules — not you. Allow yourself extra buffer time to your trip because it will make up for the ambiguous passport checks that could take longer than expected. Always be prepared with your passport and ticket. From my personal experiences on all forms of public transportation in Sweden and Denmark, tickets are almost never checked. There is no system of swiping in for the subway and the train staff did not hole-punch train tickets. However, stay true to yourself, and always do the right thing. Remember that buying a ticket for your ride is always the right thing to do. I know some other fellow study-abroad students who traveled on this specific train without tickets (since public transportation cost are hefty), and by a very off-chance, were caught and fined about $100 for traveling without a ticket. You never know what will happen, but always follow your moral compass.
Being open-minded has guided me in more ways than simply navigating the train from Denmark to Sweden during my study abroad experience. As I mentioned earlier, studying abroad is not as dreamlike as it may seem from your friends’ Instagram accounts. It is no vacation — it is a wakeup call. It is life slapping you in the face and showing you what the real world is really like on your own. The highest highs come with the lowest lows. You will have to plan your weekend vacations far in advance and be responsible for securing every flight, train and hotel without help from your parents. You will be forced to overcome the unavoidable obstacles that come with living with eight girls in an insanely small, old flat. You will cram studying for your management test in the airport after an exhausting weekend. You will catch a 24 hour bug in Rome, and throw up 15 times while your friends are visiting the Coliseum. You will cry in a smelly airport bathroom after a phone call with your mom on your birthday, because you miss her and your twin brother a little bit extra that day. Your phone will break in Sweden, and you’ll have to figure out how to take the train to the nearest Apple store, which isn’t that close. Your goals will clash with your travel buddies’, and you’ll end up spending a day in Copenhagen alone, navigating and planning your own to-do list for that one day you have to explore.
However, if you stay open-minded, and stay true to yourself, you will have a better time than you thought imaginable. You will see the most beautiful sunset from the top of a castle in Wales. You will take a boat ride for only three pounds in Cardiff Bay, and learn how the captain chose a life on the water under his own terms over a structured desk job. You will ride a bike along the canals in Copenhagen and still find reasons to smile even when it starts to rain. You will eat the biggest and best cone of Gelato you have ever tasted in Rome. You will see the biggest double rainbow over the River Thames in London. You will take advantage of the opportunities to travel that you are lucky enough to have. You will discover more than what you were looking for.
While studying abroad, you are quickly forced into being more independent than you’ve ever been — and that means being self-sufficient. Have an attitude that is welcoming to any and all new experiences. At the same time, never forget who you are and what you stand for. Studying abroad is an incredible experience, if you learn how to play the game right. The reward is there, but you have to work for it. From the surface, that pretty Instagram account with eye-catching study abroad photos can seem perfect and easy. However, behind the pictures is the photographer who worked through many obstacles and earned valuable life lessons before capturing that picturesque moment on his or her iPhone camera.
