Hej Allihopa – hello everyone!

Moving abroad is an interesting experience. On one hand it’s incredibly exciting and rewarding, while on the other – it is tough and, at times, very lonely. It’s definitely true when you move for studies. There is so much you can do during this time. You learn new things, meet a lot of amazing people, make new friends.

Yet, through it all, you still end up missing your home, your friends, and family. So, it’s only natural to want to visit home when you have a chance to. At least that was the case for me. And now I want to share with you what it was like to go back home for a little time, just so you know what to expect.

I was back home in Georgia for a little less than 2 weeks. I find 2 weeks to be the perfect sweet spot of visiting time: it’s not too short, it’s not too long. I was able to catch up with almost everyone I had missed, such as my closest friends and family. I was even able to do a bit of snooping around for my thesis research. I didn’t get bored or found that I had too much free time on my hand, which just proved that it is the perfect timeframe for visiting home after you move abroad.

Through it all I noticed that there were many wonderful memories I made, as well as many downsides to visiting this trip. And today I want to share some of them with you.

Pro 1: Food, Drink, and Company

Georgia is known for its wonderful food, wine, and hospitality. And it only amplifies when family member is visiting. This meant that for two weeks I was surrounded by delicious food, amazing people, and overall love and care. Everyone tried to make sure I had a chance to try everything I might have missed while I was away.

Con 1: Lack of Control

While it was incredibly lovely and humbling to be surrounded with so much love and care, I noticed that I had little control over what I ate or where I was. Of course, I could say no to anything, but I didn’t feel comfortable to. When you are gone away from home for months on end, it is hard to set strict limits and boundaries once you are back for a little time. I prioritized making memories with my loved ones, even if it meant being up for a little later than I usually would be.

Pro 2: Celebrate Important Dates

Living away from home means that you often miss out on important dates, such as birthdays, weddings, celebrations. During this trip, I accidentally ended up being in Georgia for two of my oldest friends’ birthdays and a Georgian Mother’s day, which was such a treat! It was amazing to be there to celebrate with all these people that I love and that care about me.

Con 2: Lack of Routine

As I mentioned earlier, many times during this trip it felt like my time was not mine. This inevitably meant that I had very little routine or at least the routine that I have in Sweden. I am in the process of writing a thesis and unfortunately, I was not able to do any work during the trip. This is due to many reasons, including me being a huge extrovert and wanting to see everyone and hang out with everybody, but it’s also due to the fact that being back home means that you don’t have as much space for yourself to focus hours on end. When you have been gone months, many people will have hard time giving you the space and time for you to sit, read, and work. They want to see you, spend quality time with you, and make sure you get the love from them.

Pro 3: The Trip!

Lastly, the biggest pro for me was actually taking the trip. I love travelling and being able to change the scenery for a little bit was a wonderful experience. This also allowed me to experience my home country partly as a visitor. When you spend several months being away, visiting becomes a cultural experience. You realize how much you have forgotten or how much has changed since you have been gone. There are new buildings in your neighborhood, new stores or cafes that are unfamiliar to you. Your friends have gotten haircuts, your cats don’t really recognize you that well (this one was very hard to swallow). All this makes the trip an adventure.

Con 3: The Finances!

I wouldn’t change anything about my decision to visit home, but it should be noted that it took a toll on my finances. Flight tickets alone were an expensive purchase, even if I went with the cheapest options. It is definitely a pricy decision and should not be taken lightly. Make sure that you have savings or plans of how you will manage your finances before and during your trip.

My last point brings me to an important aspect to emphasize. Being able to travel home from Sweden is a pretty privileged experience. Tickets are not cheap, it is never easy to find good time to travel (especially during the academic year), you need to make sure you are not waiting for an extension on your visa, and many other factors. I am very lucky to have been able to afford this trip, but there are many other students who are not able to, for variety of reasons, to go home during their studies. Simultaneously, there are many students who go home way more often than I have. This is to say that experiences vary and this is just one person’s perspective.

Until next time – Gvantsa

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