The Harsh Reality of Studying Abroad in 6 Countries 📖

Welcome to the harsh realities of studying abroad in 6 countries. I'm going into my final year at Minerva University next year studying Cognitive Science and so far, I've studied abroad in San Francisco, Berlin, Seoul and London (although I'm from there hehe). Next year, I'm moving to Buenos Aires and Taipei! 💌 as i say, it's been the most incredible, life-changing experience and I'm so so so grateful this is my life.

But... it has its challenges. Here are a few of them 💐

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: where do I study?
1:06 Culture Shock
1:53 Only having 4 months = FOMO
3:29 Scratching the Surface
3:55 Visas!
4:36 Stress and Balancing Uni
6:22 Love Life :')
8:21 Losing Friends Back Home
9:50 How My Concept of Home has Changed
11:14 pls go travel !!

thank you so so much for watching! it feels so crazy to be nearly at the end of my degree aaaaaaaah!!

✨ CONTACT ME ✨
Instagram - @unjadedjade
TikTok: @unjadedjade

🌞 MORE 🌞
Casual Magic of the Day: so so so simple, but opening the curtains to the sun. how glorious. how day-changing. gosh i love the sun.
Song of the Day: Strange by Celeste
Currently Reading: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
What are YOU grateful for today?

FAQ:
How old are you? ~ 22
Where are you from? ~ The UK! Near London.
Where do you go to university? ~ Minerva Schools at KGI
One of the best decisions you ever made? ~ Taking a gap year!

CURRENT FAVOURITES — things I love recently (these are all affiliate links):

if no one has told you today, you are enough. 💛

[UnJadedJade]

I romanticise my life on here so much that it’s important to recognise how *tough* studying abroad can actually be! I hope you find this useful if you’re considering studying abroad!! 💛💛💛

also worth noting that I go to an untraditional uni so our experiences will be v different :)

[BABDEOCK]

i feel like it’s sometimes hard to talk about the hardships of living abroad, because people kinda expect us to be very grateful for it, and i understand it because we are experiencing things some people will never experience. and of course we are grateful for it but there are really hard parts in it. when i was 15, i went to study for 5 months in the United States, and i felt like it was so hard to share my hardships with people staying at home because i was supposed to live a wonderful experience, which wasn’t the case because of a lot of issues that happened during my living there. it was a precious moment but also hurtful experience for me but i didn’t wanted to « disappoint them » with saying that it wasn’t « that wonderful » if that makes sense.

[---qhxz]

I saw a quote that said “home is a feeling, not a place” and i really like that

[peanutbrittle]

I was applying to Minerva as it was my dream school but I ended up not finishing my application as I have autism and I don’t deal well with changes. I’m still sad about it but I am now planning my studies and I am positive about my future again!

[elizabethmcintosh]

I studied abroad during university, and then moved to three different countries in a short span afterwards and I think you explained this so well. Especially the worldview changes that happen—you can barely adjust that quick let alone explain them to other people.

[khalilahd.]

I love that you show the pros and cons because I feel like we always focus on the amazing parts of what it would be like but thinking about the cons allows us to make a better more informed decision so thanks Jade! 💛

[ArielMcCleary]

I love @11:00 when you say "music has been so essential to me because it can pull me back into the lives that I've had in each place." I TOTALLY RELATE.

I think music has this magical way of linking places, people, and eras of life to certain songs. I had a playlist for every season every year starting in 2015. I've lived in Spain for 2 of those years, and certain songs will always always remind me of that time of my life... walking in the Metro to my next English class I had to teach, or laying in my apartment in the middle of Madrid late at night, going on runs by the river bopping to a tune in my headphones, sitting in my favorite coffeeshop in a specific neighborhood, etc. Certain songs also remind me fo the other countries/cities I've traveled to: Italy, the UK, Paris, Sweden, Belgium, riding on game drives in South Africa, and more places too, including Berlin!!

I am a musician myself and have made a lot of success with it with my own YouTube channel and playing live shows in different countries-- I hope that my own music serves as solace, joy, comfort, or just a simple memory-link, like it does for you <3 

I always enjoy your videos, Jade! Keep being genuine, smart, emotionally intelligent human!! :)

[chalk_bird]

I relate a lot to feeling like you leave a piece of yourself in all the different places you've lived, and to always yearning for another home. I lived in four different countries in the past 5 years and it's hard. But as much as it is painful, I try to see it as a beautiful privilege, getting to miss a home you've built on the other side of the world. It's even more beautiful getting to return to that home. I recently got to travel back to Ecuador where I lived for 7 months and had to leave abruptly due to the pandemic. After 2 years of being away, it really felt like I had come back home and that made me deeply happy.

[ameliakinnard]

Jade!!! You touched on some really relatable and hard topics, and did it so eloquently. You’re amazing 🌈🪩❤️

[ellarowley]

even from a perspective of going to a UK uni i’ve really contemplated the concept of home! being between multiple places can make me feel quite displaced and as if i now don’t have one true home, but i like what you said about having a piece of you in different places & finding comfort in people :)

[mahafuzarumu]

it just feels so good seeing you growing up so much from the girl I used to watch vdos of igsce to the one who are on the final year of university, but all the way through everything you have become so close to my heart, take care and ilyy

[sophiab.]

Thank you Jade <3!! I can relate with every aspect you mentioned so much - my experience studying international affairs has been quite similar (untraditional uni where nobody "from the normal world" can understand how it actually works). I was lucky enough to call Berlin my "uni homebase" and my friends I met during uni are up to this day an incredibly strong support system. Having people navigating the same situations and facing the same hardships makes the whole experience a lot more bearable because you understand and support each other when things get complicated or overwhelming or when you're just starting to feel lost in exam preparations and visa issues. When you travel a lot it's the people and memories that make a place a home.. My friends and me all know that we could not live in one place and one place only, there are too many beautiful cities to be discovered, languages to be learned (at least a little bit ;)) and experiences to be made. So everywhone who is lucky enough to get the opportunity to go abroad should not stop themselves because of fear or self doubt, it will all work out somehow :) Good luck in Argentina and Taiwan Jade :) and enjoy the beautiful summer in Berlin to its fullest :) (I get to call Mongolia my new home very soon)

[Hopeingd]

Hi Jade! I find your university journey fascinating because it could not be further from my own. I'm from Buenos Aires and I have just finished my degree at the University of Buenos Aires. Since I have lived here my entire life, I am really excited to watch your vlogs when you move here and see the city through your eyes. I would also feel happy to show you around if that's something you are okay with :) Best of luck!!

[nikolaiquack]

If you feel like a local after just 4 months, that's very impressive to me. I've been living in Hamburg for 6 years now and I only just have started to feel like a local in those past 2 years or so. And even then, I was already born and raised in Germany. Couldn't imagine ever feeling like a local in a different culture after just a few months. Then again, I'm just a very introverted person and like being at home doing nothing a lot, so maybe that's a part of it.

[dans]

I just got back from a year in Seoul this week so this video came at a good time...studying abroad is the best experience of my life thus far and returning is exciting for various reasons but there’s a lot of pain involved too. Creating a new life for yourself just to leave it behind without knowing if or when you will have it again is hard and I’ve had a lump in my throat since being at the airport in Incheon. Though I can now enjoy the familiarity of the UK again I wonder if it’s worth the sacrifice of everything unfamiliar over the past year that made life feel new. Thank you for sharing!

[beafilmc]

thank you so much for sharing such great content with us, Jade! I really appreciate all the effort u put into your videos so much, take care and ily 🥺

[maryambakhtawar]

The way you put feelings into words is incredible! Loved the video💫

[karlaprieto]

Jade, this hit so close to home. Thank you for making this video 💕

[odalystaylor]

thank you sm for this video! I'm considering going to grad school in the UK as an American and you're the FIRST person I think of as an example of a study-abroad student. Now, I LOVE your content about each place you're in bc you make it look like a dream, but I'm thankful to hear of the realities before I make the decision! it makes me feel better to know I am more informed!

[vs.sh.]

Thank you for sharing the experience!
As a student in Russia I'm not even sure that I'll be able to go anywhere abroad for studying in the next couple of years. But this life of study & travel is so interesting (despite difficult) and appealing. I'm glad that your videos exist.