The Life After
Deadlines don’t wait
A year abroad is an incredible adventure. It changes your view on the world and yourself. It gives you challenges you don’t expect and can’t measure beforehand. Maybe it will also bring you a little closer to yourself and what you want to do with your life.
But it is not a break year.
Life in your home country continues, even if you yourself don’t participate in it actively. That incluseds application-deadlines for courses of studies or apprenticeships. Companies and universities don’t wait for the handful of young adults travelling abroad and thus missing these deadlines. Those who go abroad for a longer period of time have to keep that in mind.
Time does not simply stop in the home country.
Plans can change
I already had thought through plans for after my return before I left for Hungary - I wanted to dual study informatics with a company in Tübingen I had already been in contact with, because I know many people in and around the city.
But after I came to Hungary I realised pretty fast that an office job wouldn’t make me happy, not in the near future. I enjoy being outside far too much for that. This also means, though, that I am currently overthrowing all the plans I already had for the time after - because that, too, can’t wait until after my return.
Winter means there is a little less to do here, because we don’t have any events on the campsite - which gives me the time to actively think about what I want to do in the future. For me, everything seems to point for another while abroad in Canada, after a little break time in Germany.
Tips for people staying abroad long time
There is no definite answer on how to treat the inevitable After of a year abroad.
Plans you make beforehand suddenly become invalid, because you learn things about yourself you didn’t even think about before. Ideas change day by day, wishes, what you want to do, come and go.
The only thing that is really important is not to ignore the future.
Of course, you shouldn’t think about it without pause. A year like this gives you the opportunity to truly live in the moment, and this, too, is a glorious feeling. But every now and then you should let your mind wander to the future and make yourself aware that your life, too, continues back in your home country.
Many go abroad for a year because they don’t know in which direction they want to go later and hope on getting new ideas or simply winning time with this. And that’s perfectly alright. To these people I propose, talk to the people around you, your neightbours, your friends, your comrades, and try to explain your problems and ideas to them.
With my On-Arrival-Trianing I got a group of people in the same situation as I am - and who can help you better to get a clearer aim than those sharing the road you’re walking on?
travelling_evs · evs