The Truth About Studying Abroad

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to track down the person who sold the first dream about studying abroad. I would make sure they tell the truth.

Studying abroad in theory seems like such an all glitz and glam experience. There are many expectations about what the experience is like. Some are rooted in truth, some aren’t. The idea has been packaged and presented to all of us in irresistible wrapping. Before you go, everybody tells you about the ‘magical’ moments of self-discovery, the epiphany of realising who you truly are. Sometimes the colours used to paint the dream are aesthetically pleasing enough to make you wholeheartedly believe that you will find your purpose, that being overseas is all you need to discover your true calling.

There are expectations of sitting on grass with your multi-cultural friends who accept you for who you are and who are genuinely curious about your culture, but not in a way that makes you feel like a zoo animal. In a nutshell, studying abroad seems like a magical, untainted, arguably even perfect experience.

The truth is, it is not all glitz and glam. It is not a perpetually riveting experience filled with mini revelations about who you are supposedly destined to be. Don’t get me wrong, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to live out my dream to attend world-class institutions abroad, but here are some of the things I wish somebody had told me before I left full to the brim with unrealistic expectations:

1. Human nature remains human nature everywhere in the world.

Realise that people are fallible, regardless of where you go. People have the same potential to be greedy, inconsiderate and cruel all over the world. But people also have the exact same potential to be loving, accepting and confrontational in their love. With that in mind, acknowledge everybody’s humanity.

2. You will evolve to understand that your existence is not able to accommodate everyone who it used to accommodate.

Moving from one country (or institution) to another, whether you like it or not, marks a clear transition from one page to another in your life. Allow yourself to evolve and allow the world to do its inevitable part in fashioning your existence. Don’t fight growth. Don’t fight love in different forms. You are not a tree, move.

3. This life is yours to live.

Stop explaining yourself to other people. The choice to study abroad, if it makes sense to your soul, does not have to make sense to other people. Choose to show up for your dreams. Going to study at a United World College meant that I had to actively defy the conventional importance of attaining a Grade 12 certificate. I felt like I needed to issue a statement about the immense benefits of my choice. No more. This life is mine to live. I choose to actualise my game-changing dreams. Do you?

4. Hold yourself accountable.

There is nobody to constantly remind you to study hard or represent your country in a way that is honourable. You have to do it yourself. You have to be your own cheerleader and remind yourself that the people who are making investments in you deserve to have their efforts respected by you holding yourself accountable.

5. You show up in the international community as a representative of your country, your people and the collective hopes and dreams of your nation.

This goes without saying. It seems simple, but being abroad has the potential make you feel like such a small and insignificant part of the world. You are not. You are a symbol of all the Namibian people who have the actualisation of their hopes and dreams waiting on the other side of your obedience. Do not disappoint them.

In essence, studying abroad is not as glitz and glam as the brochures make it seem. It is not a perpetual feeling of having your head in the clouds. It’s a difficult, serious, life-changing decision to subscribe to something bigger than yourself. But it is also so worth it. Take it from me.

Bertha Tobias is a 19-year-old Namibian currently studying at the United World College in Changshu, China, where she is pursuing a pre-university International Baccalaureate qualification. She is a #BeFree ambassador, volunteer for the One Economy Foundation and youth feminist activist. Email her at missberthaj2000@gmail.com.