The truth about moving back home after living abroad

Hello everybody! Thanks for hanging in there while I took a break from youtube. In this video I am talking about the truth of moving back home after living abroad. I discuss experiencing culture shock, the feeling of dealing with lost time. Is studying abroad worth it? Does everything change?

FAQ's About Me :)
Age: 21
Year in School: Rising Junior at The College of Charleston
Major: Arts Management & Creative Writing
Where I'm From: Washington, D.C.

Tiktok: @katieblake06

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[Mike-ecw]

What you have to remember when you move abroad is that your home country, your friends and family members back home will move on without you because time waits for nobody.

[junosaxon]

After having lived abroad for a long time, coming back to live in my own country feels so different. I feel like a fish out of water. The one big advantage was not to be told to 'Go back to your own country!' The thing is, now I am finally back, things have changed so much that I now feel like a foreigner in my own country. I am sure that one reason is because one changes after living abroad, one sees things differently, in a different light, however, the other reason is that it really has changed, and unfortunately not for the better. Mentally, it's a difficult place to be in.

[nimsilva]

i get this too katie- i was in scotland last semester and i saw somewhere that when you have been in a place for a while, you almost feel homesick for it afterwards; and yes i get that concept about it changing you, i feel sometimes i could really be my true self over there- or maybe i discovered that self, and sometimes when ur away from the exchange its harder to be that brave spontaneous self

[abigailbravo]

I needed this! I’m currently in Spain and I don’t want to leave but I know when leave i’m going to be in such an odd place when i return. the culture shock will be ROUGH. I love your videos!!

[cooliipie]

You hit the nail on head talking about when you come back people trying to put you back after you've changed so much, simply because their world hasn't. I've been abroad 5 years and experienced this 2 weeks ago. Even though it's been 5 years, the amount that happened for me would take them 20 years in their stagnant situation. So I don't blame them.

[tialammers]

I am currently in the midst of moving back to America from being in the UK for the past year. I am currently feeling all these emotions and it really aches my mind knowing that change is always happening. And apart of me really wants to stay here in knowing that I am acclimated within this country now. Going back to America is something I wanted but now that it is in the works I feel that the emotions that come with it is so much harder than people really think. My mum and dad are ecstatic for me to come home but I genuinely don't know how to think or feel. This video was great thank you for sharing your truthful experience <3

[SomewhereWarmWithRice]

Just stopped in on a whim. You've described my experience after just a semester abroad in China, which I have such a hard time explaining to people here at home in the US. My time in China was a REALLY BIG DEAL for me, so much so that I moved back after graduation to teach. I'm in the US now for grad school (yay💀) but I find myself feeling suffocated here now. I fell back into who I used to be and honestly, I love who I am when I'm abroad so much more. These feelings are not easy to describe at all and I appreciate you putting into words at least a little bit of my feelings that I was not able to vocalize.

[orangeable]

Im in ireland right now studying only for a quarter, but even initially I completely agree with you on the american culture part. Ireland feels much more homey, even among strangers, like they want to include you. And for sure some of it is because im an american and Im new in the country, but it felt different in the US where my community kept labelling me and kept pushing me into things that They thought were best. And here it is so chill, I really am grateful for doing this, and thank you for making these videos, they’ve helped me a lot hahah

[KaylaLahti]

If you're in you're in your early 20s, I wouldn't worry about losing a year, especially to do something like work or live abroad. I'm in my 30s now, and it seems silly how I agonized over things like delaying grad school a few years when I was in my 20s. Yes, we all don't have an infinite amount of time. But a year or two is not that long, and the personal growth you'll have living abroad will more than make up for it! The older you get, the more you realize a year is not that long because you feel the time slip of being 10 years older and then 20 and so on. A year starts to feel like the blink of an eye.

And yes, it can be lonely to come back and want to talk about everything you experienced abroad and realize no one really cares and it's better to keep it to yourself or talk with other people who studied abroad with you. I currently live abroad with my husband, and it's hard going home to visit family and realize they very little interest in what my life is like in a foreign country. When people do ask questions though, it can be hard to stop talking!

[snazzyducklovr]

I’ve been missing your uploads! Your videos were helpful for me in the process of deciding to study abroad and I just arrived in Norway three weeks ago. I’m really loving it and your opinions really resonate with me 🙏

[ambermariartist]

also i don't know if it was different for you because you were there for a year but for me, coming back to the US and my own life after only one semester felt like a time slip. almost as if the world kept moving but i came back, different. and i also felt like going to scotland was just something completely different. idk kinda like a rift in time. at least for me! i had to come back to one semester of school and feel so incredibly isolated because no one around me has shared what i had and i was just the old senior who had all her friends graduate😂 that sounds sad. but i totally am feeling everything you said rn bc i've been back for a month and nothing feels real yet

[julianacasarin]

It’s been 5 months and I still cry about every single day. Today I found some vlogs I made and I’m devastated, how I was smiling the entire video. Someone please make a Time Machine 😭
I never ever liked living in my home country, I remember asking Santa as a child to make my dad’s job move him to the us or Canada. I never liked my life here and coming back it’s exactly the same as it was before I left. Anyway trying to find a college or university that I can afford so I can leave again asap

[salvocado]

I love hearing your new perspective about your quiet confidence gaining a louder voice, what a profound result of your experience!

[SCHEY]

I moved back to Australia from France, here's the thing. You need a rental when you get back home, you have no bank statements, no local payslips, a foreign work history, a foreign rental history. You might need to borrow money but even though you have a good job you haven't worked in that position long enough, you can't provide a stable proof of habitation because you have dared to step out of the ordinary and travel. In short it's a nightmare coming home after living abroad and it's when you find out how sincere and straight up your relatives are because you will absolutely need them.

[Oyuoyupui]

i feel quite empty after i come back from stuyding abroad

[LouisaFidelis]

Thank you so much for sharing this. Most people on YouTube only talk about their experiences living or studying abroad without sharing their life after. Its a little bit challenging to adapt to the home environment after a long time of being away especially coming from the pandemic

[Oyuoyupui]

Living abroad is like living in a pararllel world. Life staying abroard seems to be surreal to me once i back home. Everything there is so far away from home with the physical and time difference. It is a very odd inner experience.

[albin]

Travel really does broaden the mind. It's essential if you want to fully develop yourself.

[luckyfriend]

You have always made me feel so safe and curious, like open to new experiences. I love how you give the good and the bad to everything. Happy to see you back!! I can't wait to hear about possible grad school adventures :)

[hannahdees]

Hi Katie! I wanted to let you know that your videos have been helping me a lot through my own study abroad journey. I found your videos when I was preparing to study abroad in the United Kingdom for a year, and I watched them religiously. I am currently heading into my second semester abroad, and this video is exactly what I needed. I've been stressed about having to go back to the states soon, so it's nice to hear your perspective and experience :) Thank you for doing these videos!