As I sit in the airport lounge writing this blog post, I can’t help but wonder what Stockholm has in store for me for my second term. I’m especially thinking about my walk back home to campus, cleaning the apartment, and doing the groceries—back to reality! But I’m also reminiscing about by first term studying in Sweden. Specially now that I’ve said goodbye to my family and hometown a second time. Will everything change while I’m gone? Will everything be the same?

Three weeks ago, I was so busy studying for a retake exam, seeing friends before the holiday break, and buying presents for my loved ones. I did not even think about the three flights to make it home for Christmas – which ended up being around 24 hours of travel thanks to flight cancellations and delays. I just wanted to go back home and sleep in my own bed so badly. And I can imagine this was the same feeling for many people who were privileged enough to make the journey back for Christmas. Right?

This time back in town, I took a well-deserved break. Being back felt so nostalgic: there is something so special about hearing your mother tongue spoken everywhere, walking the streets of your neighbourhood, eating the best local food again, reuniting with your pets, and seeing your friends and family. The time away made me appreciate all the little things this time around.
At the beginning of my master’s degree, given that I was over nine thousand kilometres away, I felt pessimistic about how my relationship with my loved ones would develop when I moved abroad. I thought about all the worst things that could happen, especially with my family. That uneasiness remained with me throughout the last term, mixed with nostalgia and homesickness: What if I never left home?

Coming back, I felt that sensation dissipate. Yes, you will get back home, and the park where you walk your dog will have new benches, your senior cat will have surgery and his ear won’t rise like before, the corner shop will repaint the outside, and your parents’ hair will be whiter: you’ll find everything changed. Life goes on whether or not you are there to see it. But below all that, the park is still as green as ever, your cat cuddles you never like before, the shop owner asks about your time abroad, and your parents will hold you and keep you safe as always. In the same way everything changes in your hometown, but deep down it’s the same, and so are you.
I wanted this blog to be comforting for those who struggle with deciding whether or not to take the leap of faith thinking about their families, just as I did. As you finish your applications to study abroad, you might share the same insecurities as I once did. Studying far away will come with its own challenges: living alone, time management, making new friends, getting lost in a new town, culture shocks, and homesickness, to name a few. But these experiences will change you in ways you can’t even imagine: your family might be far away, but over time, you will grow. Change is scary, but life wouldn’t be the way it is if it weren’t for constant transformation. I’ll finish this blog by saying something I would’ve liked to hear last year: go and take the chance; you’ll be okay.