{"id":641,"date":"2011-07-20T12:33:09","date_gmt":"2011-07-20T12:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.studyabroad101.com\/?p=641"},"modified":"2011-07-20T12:33:09","modified_gmt":"2011-07-20T12:33:09","slug":"guest-blog-aftershock-returning-america-semester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/guest-blog-aftershock-returning-america-semester\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blog: The Aftershock of Returning to America from a Semester Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBy Brianna Gunter, Part 3<\/em><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t say that I never thought my trip would come to an end (because I adhere to the laws of time and common sense), but I can say that it appeared to come to an end much faster than expected. Looking back on my semester abroad however, I do find it pleasantly astonishing that I\u2019ve learned and done so much.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been back in New Jersey for some time now. While I honestly didn\u2019t feel too \u201cculture shocked\u201d upon arrival in Costa Rica, I did feel that way almost as soon as my plane landed back at Newark Liberty International.<\/p>\n

It is summer now (thank goodness), but when I first came back Jersey was still in spring, a very cold spring! At least, I felt very cold after having spent all winter in a tropical country where the sun is out on most days. I\u2019m much happier now that the weather has warmed up, but there have been a lot of other things that have made it not so easy to re-adapt to my former life.<\/p>\n

On a more awkward level than the weather, there is an absence of wastebaskets next to toilets, and I am now expected to throw toilet paper in the toilet bowl rather than in the trash. I still forget this almost as often as I forget that my friends here aren\u2019t familiar with all of the latest Latin pop\/rock songs. Even weirder for me has been the abrupt switch of everything back to English. My brain remains a weird mix of two languages, and personally quisiera hablar m\u00e1s en Espa\u00f1ol.
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nThe hardest thing of all however, has been the separation from the people I was with during my time abroad. Although I\u2019m known for not shedding many tears or being that emotional in public (I\u2019ve been \u201cjokingly\u201d labeled a robot on more than a few occasions), I sobbed profusely while saying goodbye to my host family and friends. We had some great times together, and I know the main reason I felt so at home in Costa Rica was because of them.<\/p>\n

There have been, of course, many good things about my returning home, and seeing my family and friends again has been absolutely wonderful. \u201cAbsence makes the heart grow fonder,\u201d and while I don\u2019t remember who said it originally, that saying couldn\u2019t be truer. That being said, I reiterate that I really do miss my host family and friends from Costa Rica.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the people I was with on my trip, I now have a much better understanding of different cultures. I naturally assumed this would happen as a result of living in a foreign country, but I honestly never expected to learn so much about different cultures within the United States \u2026 including my own. As I may have mentioned in previous articles, the students in my study abroad group consisted of people from all different states.<\/p>\n

While at times this created a few mildly uncomfortable social situations (the cultural differences between states and regions are much greater than you\u2019d think), it provided a never-dulling conversation topic and helped us really understand each other (and ourselves) on a deeper level. I\u2019ve come to respect those with beliefs and values that are the opposite of mine. We can still form meaningful friendships despite these differences.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As a journalism student, I\u2019ve been taught that one has to strive to be impartial while reporting so that all sides of a story are told fairly. I now believe these same principals apply when meeting people. Put aside pre-existing judgments and stereotypes \u2014 you may surprise yourself by the friendships you form. Personally I\u2019m still a bit surprised that I became such good friends with a super religious and conservative Texan!<\/p>\n

Overall, though, I feel as though my outlook on life changed while abroad. I\u2019ve always been a worrier when it comes to money and will likely continue to be (hey, journalism doesn\u2019t pay much). However, I\u2019ve also come to realize that life is just too short to pass up on opportunities simply because of money. I did so many fun things in Costa Rica, and I now see no reason not to continue living it up just because I\u2019m back in the states. I\u2019m basically saying that if there\u2019s something I really want to do, then damn it I\u2019m going to make sure I find the money and time to do it! As my friend from Texas told me, \u201cyou\u2019ll always remember the times you had, not the money that you spent.\u201d<\/p>\n

I honestly hope with all my heart that I can return one day, but for now I\u2019m going to continue living life to the fullest. Pura Vida.<\/p>\n

Oh, and I\u2019m starting to really miss my tan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brianna Gunter, Part 3 I can\u2019t say that I never thought my trip would come to an end (because I adhere to the laws of time and common sense), but I can say that it appeared to come to an end much faster than expected. Looking back on my semester abroad however, I do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[682],"class_list":["post-641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories-from-abroad","author-pwpadmin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t