The things they carried

By Colleen Huston, staff writer

Studying abroad can be a fun, exciting, and enlightening experience, but it can also be tough.  Moving states or countries away from your friends, family and home can seem daunting. I went to Oxford in the fall of 2009. I knew how much I was going to miss my friends and family. When I found out I got accepted to the program, I started taking Polaroids of everything and everyone I loved. I took one photo of the picnic table in my backyard at home, one of my roommates, one of my nephews, one of a summer night with friends, and many more. When I got to Oxford, the first thing I did was hang the pictures on the wall next to my bed. Every night before I went to sleep I looked at all the pictures. It made my tiny room feel more like home. These pictures helped ease my transition of living in another country and made the nights of homesickness better.

Other students have similar stories. We asked our readers to give us some examples of the things they carried overseas to make a foreign place feel like home.  Here’s what they said:

“When I went to study abroad in Sicily, I brought many things to remind me of home, like pictures and journals, but the most powerful to me was the smell of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen. Just a whiff and I was always brought back to summertime with my family and friends…You wouldn’t think so, but even something as simple as a scent can really get you through the loneliest of times in a foreign country.”
Justine Carlson, senior, cinematic arts and History, studied in Sicily

“When choosing what to pack for the semester, I was particular about the different shirts I brought. Shirts from APU, the Alpha program, Camp Hammer (the summer camp I worked at), my home in Hawaii, amongst others, served as daily reminders of home and familiar experiences. They also helped in starting conversations and sharing important aspects of life back in the U.S. to those in Lithuania.”
Sean Rollolazo, junior, marketing, studied in Lithuania

“My mom gave me a few letters to open along the way (Valentine’s day, my birthday, etc.), and each one contained a few pictures of home. Skype was always a convenient way to remember home too. It was nice just seeing the person I wanted to remember on my laptop screen talking to me.”
Alex Salzwedel, senior, youth ministries and biblical studies major, studied in South Africa

“As unoriginal as this may sound, I brought pictures but I didn’t bring just any kind of pictures. I crammed my carry-on with a packet of pictures solely dedicated to Holly Kelly, my lovely cousin. She’s beautiful inside and out, no doubt about it, but I purposefully chose the less flattering/awkward/unposed pictures so I could really take each expression of Holly’s with me. Once I pinned up all the pictures of her, she really did keep me company as I furiously wrote essays into all hours of the morning. We were farther apart than we’d ever geographically been, but she felt present in my small room on the third story of my flat.”
Kelly LePenske, senior, English major, studied in Oxford

“When I came to South Africa to study abroad, I brought with me little notes, pictures and letters that my younger siblings had written to me. I hung some up on my walls and tucked some in the pages of my Bible. Whenever I saw them, it always brightened my day and brought me so much encouragement.”
Jenny Pasch, junior, youth ministries major, studied in South Africa

“I brought a LOT of photos from home, my bear (Patches), and Friends episodes.”
Brianna Howard, senior, marketing, studied in Oxford