As an exchange student, do you also have days when everything feels amazing, and the following day you wonder what you are even doing here? If so, you are not alone. Studying abroad means accepting that our emotions can change as quickly as Swedish weather.
It’s true that the first days in Jonkoping are intense. The Kick Off sets the tone right away. We meet lots of new people, get used to speaking English all the time, and then there are the activities organized every night. It takes a lot of social energy, and sometimes, once we get back to our accommodation, we can feel empty, no old landmarks, no childhood friends, and tiredness.
A French exchange student told me: “In France, when I wasn’t feeling well, I used to go for a run. Here, even though the nature is beautiful, it wasn’t familiar, and it didn’t comfort me the same way.” Actually, this is a quite common feeling of strangeness, what used to ground us at home doesn’t always work abroad.
I also spoke with a Colombian exchange student, who told me that the hardest thing for her was missing her family and the difficulty of adapting to a new routine, which is very different from the one she had in Colombia.
“In France, when I wasn’t feeling well, I used to go for a run. Here, even though the nature is beautiful, it wasn’t familiar, and it didn’t comfort me the same way.”
Even if, according to the exchange students, the reasons that make studying abroad difficult (missing their families, change of routine or an unfamiliar environment), the experience of adapting to a new life in Jönköping is something that most exchange students can understand.
But little by little, you will build your own routine. Jönköping offers plenty of ways for this: walks by the lake, hikes in nature, sports with JUSA, or dance and music with Showtime, etc. These activities not only fill your time but also connect you with people who share your interests.
And of course, that’s also normal for international students to have unexpected days and nights where you don’t do anything. You’re just living a normal life. There will be fun nights and busy days, incredible memories and new friends. But you have the right to rest.
So yes, some days you will miss home, and other days you will feel completely at ease here, discovering new places, meeting people who become like family, and realizing that this city and this year or semester, is slowly becoming part of you. And that’s exactly the point, feeling a mix of emotions is completely normal! Every exchange student goes through it, and it’s part of what makes the experience so rich.
Writer: Snoussi Lylia
