Ash Pickett is a business administration junior and opinion columnist for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
To all of the Mustangs considering studying abroad in the future, those who have already begun meticulously planning, or even those immersed in another country seeking guidance through this transformative journey: welcome to the complete guide to your international experience.
Going abroad isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, despite the overwhelmingly positive things people have to say about it. Is it an incredible one-in-a-lifetime experience? Definitely. Does that mean it’ll be easy? Definitely not.
Today I share with you my top horror stories from studying abroad, because what’s good travel without a little trial-by-fire character building?
1. Nightmare Apartments
I’d just arrived in London, newly acquainted with my roommate after our 16 hour travel days plus 5 hours spent waiting in the airport since we were early for pick-up. We hopped on a bus for two hours, and the driver dropped us off at the end of a long, cobblestone street where we had to lug our bags to an eerie alleyway.
The first thing I noticed about the apartments was that they were not like the pictures. The second thing was that there were hoards of 11-year-old Italian kids running around the place, knocking on doors, screaming, and doing all of the icky little-kid stuff I can’t stand.
Our first two weeks in London were nothing short of cacophonous; our doors were getting banged on in the middle of the night, the laundry machines were breaking down, and the common areas were disgusting.
Not only that, but our rooms were tiny – basically closets. The stove was a two-top electric burner, the bathroom was smaller than an airplane lavatory, there was one single desk to be shared by two people, and the bunk beds had the thinnest mattress you’ve ever seen, one pillow, and a thin comforter. The window only opened a crack, so at night, the rooms would get so hot that sleep became impossible.
As if it couldn’t get any worse: I found out later that some people in my program found literal maggots in their bedding.
Oh, London.
2. Spooky Camping
It started with an idea to save money. At Oktoberfest, friends can rent a 4-person tent that is one of hundreds, all placed right next to each other on a huge plot of land. A great idea in theory, this would save us all hundreds of dollars. Wake up early, wear cool outfits, enjoy German festivities, and go to bed late – use the tent strictly for sleeping, and it’ll serve its purpose.
Mother Nature had other plans for us, though. A group of my friends and I rented a few of these tents, and the rain swept in that weekend, making it not only cold but wet, muddy, and downright miserable. There was no hot water for showers, grocery stores closed at 5pm, restaurants were completely full, places only took cash and I brought none, and the phone charging station was literally a warzone where you had to camp to make sure no one unplugged your phone in the 3 hours it took to charge.
But hey, it’s not all bad, right? I was reunited with my Cal Poly friends for the first time abroad! Some of the girls and I decided to go pick up dirndls – traditional Bavarian dresses – from a lady I’d been talking to on Facebook Marketplace. We took public transit 30 minutes to her place, and when we got there, we found out she already sold the dresses we agreed to buy, and she said we were just too late. The 30 minute train ride home in the rain was a defeated one (we got free sandwiches, though, so that was nice).
After that, we knew it couldn’t get any worse.
Just kidding! I was mildly sick going into Oktoberfest, and by the time I left, I felt worse than I ever had before. I probably ate two meals in total that entire weekend: half of a schnitzel (I found out I don’t like schnitzel), a combination of crumbly white bread, cheese, and salami for breakfast at 9am (shared between 8 people on a train), one banana with some cashews, that one free sandwich from earlier, and water (occasionally). Needless to say, it was not the best diet to support a healthy immune system.
After my 10-hour travel day back to London, I got back to my (horrific) apartment around 11:55pm, and celebrated my birthday at 12am by crying alone. When I woke up later that morning (newly 20 years old), I spent the day filming a video for an internship application behind puffy eyes.
Cheers, Oktoberfest!
3. Haunting Noodles
I have one final story for you all, a treat from someone who had a very different experience studying abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Just 48 hours after trying a noodle shack in the countryside, Alex Siverson, an animal science senior, was hallucinating from the high-grade fever she acquired and was paralyzed with pain. She struggled with the Thai rideshare app and made her way to the hospital, where there was a difficult language barrier to deal with alongside the fever, extreme pain, and hourly trips to the bathroom.
She missed a weekend trip with friends and was stuck in the hospital for the next 3 days alone. Alex was diagnosed with infectious diarrhea, enterocolitis, and severe dehydration.
Though, it wasn’t all bad. “I got to spend three days in a nice room, with a great view, watching TV and people bringing me things. Even though I had missed a quiz, two midterms, and a beach vacation, I left with a great story,” Siverson said.
I think Alex’s perspective wraps this up very nicely. Although things may not go according to plan, being abroad is about the stories you take away from it, and being grateful for the opportunities to grow. Don’t let our experience scare you, instead, realize that you’re not alone out there, and that no matter what, at least you’ve got a great story and a new life lesson in your back pocket.
