Semester Abroad, Global Correspondents Fighting Adversity and Making A Home Abroad

SA: CASA Dublin: Trinity College Dublin

Sabirah, one of the Semester Abroad Global Correspondents, shares his experience abroad during the Fall 2023 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.

I think most students, like myself, have this assumption when they venture abroad that it will be the best experience they will have. I don’t disagree with this statement, but I have realized this strong sentiment may lead to unfair expectations that are quickly debunked as you adjust in the first few weeks. 

I love Ireland so much– from the people, the nature walks, and the culture I have felt more at home in Dublin than I have on Penn’s campus in some ways. However, I have realized there is a lot of loneliness and isolation that comes with migrating to a new country with no familiar friends, family, or places. I have found that there are many different ways to respond to this change in familiarity– you learn how to thrive alone, or you force yourself to branch out and be comfortable with meeting new people and making new experiences. 

As a self-proclaimed introvert, I can say the latter option was very difficult. Back in Philadelphia, it was never a problem for me to quickly text my friends to go to Van Pelt to study, or join me at KCEH dining to share a meal. I had to completely start over at Trinity. This meant, although I had the knowledge of university at Penn, I felt like a freshman again, forcing myself to go to every social event and making superficial connections with people I did not feel comfortable to be my genuine self. 

My challenges changed when I slowly began to encourage myself to find places that reminded me of the joys I shared back home. Walks alongside the Schuylkill River trail changed into my strolls alongside St. Stephens Green before I would head to class; going to a dining hall with my friends to socialize changed into cooking meals at my student accommodation and inviting friends to share my love for trying new recipes; my shared love for activism and politics within my International Relations community at Penn forced me to fall in love with the Hist society and get involved with SOFIA at Trinity. 

It is most difficult when you have a strong longing for home to make it easy to adjust to a life abroad, especially when those four months or an entire academic year is filled with new and unfamiliar challenges. I can’t say that the journey has been the easiest, but starting to prioritize my own joy and how I have found that in Philly and at Penn, has allowed me to transfer those skills to how I can reclaim my joy and home-ness at Trinity and in Dublin.