Gifts for Sister Abroad
 

Hi everyone! My chapter has a lot of girls who go abroad each semester (so much so that I am serving as Study Abroad chair), and we're doing our best to make them feel loved and involved while they're abroad.

However, we also wanted to do something to welcome them back - we already have plans for a brunch, but I wanted to be able to give them something on their return. Last semester the chapter decorated pillows for them, but I was hoping to do something a little different. I'm trying to keep the costs low, while still giving a meaningful gift to each sister. Do any of you do something similar/have any ideas you could lend?

I really like the pillow idea from last year. They are coming home to sleep again in their own beds!

Otherwise, the gifts might have a theme such as Welcome Back to the USA. Give gifts based upon baseball/hot dogs/apple pie/the US flag.

I like all the above ideas.... maybe a "here's what you missed" letter that talks about what went on in chapter and on campus that they might find interesting.

Do you live somewhere that sells the flag pins that have the American flag and another country's flag on them? You could maybe give one of those pinned to a pillowcase (LOVE that idea). And I love the "here's what you missed" as well, maybe that can include a brief intro of new members too depending on chapter size.

When I got back from my term abroad, all I wanted was real pizza. I suppose it depends where they are, but is there anything in particular you think they'd have really missed?

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Thanks for the thoughtful responses, guys! I'm actually already working on a "here's what you missed" newsletter, so excellent call on that :)

As far as the welcome back gifts...I decided I'd do the pillows, but NONE of the craft stores near me (Michael's, etc.) carried the pillows/pillowcases I needed in the right quantities, and ordering them from anywhere online (Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, Target, etc.) would either take too long or cost far too much money.

I've come up with a few other ideas, but I would love some feedback on them, if y'all don't mind!

Idea #1: Buy a teddy bear for each girl, and an infant t-shirt for the bear to wear that can be decorated in much the same way (though on a smaller scale) as the pillows would have been. The only issue is this could get pretty expensive too.

Idea #2: Compile a small welcome back gift basket. I'm at a bit of a loss for things to include, however. I figured crafting picture frames would be cute, as well as maybe a small stuffed animal, but this is where I would really love the input of you wonderful ladies!

Let me know what you all think :) Thanks a ton!

Peanut butter and Jelly, an ice cube tray, fabric softener, and change for the parking meter.

Is there an IKEA near you? We did blankets instead of pillows/pillowcases and the IKEA ones we used were cheap enough, available in bulk and in a fabric that allowed for printing/writing on and was easily washable without looking cheap.
We wrote little messages on the blankets for the ones about to go abroad so they could take a little bit of home with them.

I live abroad now, so I can vouch that I miss peanut butter, real hamburgers, Reese's PB Cups, Starbucks and cheddar cheese. Other popular American foods that are special ordered are Kraft Mac & Cheese, Cheetos and Doritos.

I like the suggestion for quarters - when you haven't used a currency in a while, you tend not to have small change.

Maybe a quintessential U.S. magazine subscription? I use MagazinesUSA.com (check out their bundles - I'm currently subscribed to The Atlantic, Entrepreneur and Inc. for $10 for the year) and MagazinePriceSearch.com to get cheap subscriptions.

Maybe gift cards or vouchers for popular local eateries (if this were Los Angeles, a gift certificate to In-N-Out would be a hit), Starbucks, etc.

Have you asked the girls who came back last year what they really craved when they got home?

I was actually thinking about how happy I was to come back to my car, but this is another good point!

I googled "what Americans miss while living abroad" and almost all of the responses are food-related, but Bath & Body Works somehow appears on a few lists.

I'm sure it's just me, but why do they require gifts? I'm not a fan of this relentless need for STUFF. What they will have missed most is their family and friends. Have a party, serve some of the above mentioned American food, sing sorority songs and reconnect.

Great post.

DubaiSis - We actually are having a welcome back dinner, so the idea is not that they have to have a lot of STUFF, but just one meaningful gift to show how much we missed them.

As to all who suggested food items specific to the U.S. - I guess I should have mentioned that most of our “abroad” girls are actually interning in other parts of the U.S., though we do have a few who are actually out of the country! I will definitely keep those suggestions in mind though :)

Thanks again for your input, ladies, I really appreciate it!

I think the most meaningful gifts would be letters from sisters that express how much the abroad sisters have been missed. My chapter sent these out so they would be received while the sisters were abroad.

Just a thought for future semesters.