Study Abroad...does it affect your greek life?

[PhiStar]

Hi, I'm leaving for Spain in 33 days, for the fall semester.
I was just wondering who else has, and if you had any wierd experiences coming back to your chapter? And if you had/have a significant other, how did you stay close/deal with being away from him/her? I heard a few things about other chapters that had girls go away and when they came back they didn't feel as close.
I'm just wondering, getting nervous & excited about going, my boyfriend is aprehensive and excited at the same time.

just wondering!!

[hannahgirl]

I've had many sisters go abroad during school while involved in Greek Life. Most of them had no problem coming back into the chapter after being gone for a semester because we all continued to keep in touch with them when they were gone. England Nicole, and Australia Nicole (thought i'd give them those nicknames since they are different people) always sent us these funny emails about their adventures adjusting to the new environment, traveling, etc....some funny stuff! Jessica has been to China (and about everywhere else in the world) and will be coming back to Akron this semester from Korea...we haven't seen her since the end of Fall so we're really excited to see her. Yana also went abroad last semester so we are expecting her return also!
Through our sisters, we have all been around the world

[phisigsigchic]

Hey are you a Spanish major? (figuring you might be since your studying abroad in Spain although anyone can study abroad anywhere without majoring in the particular language). Anyway, I actually was wondering the same things. I was thinking of studying abroad (although now I probably won't have enough time unless I stay in school for an extra year but I want to graduate in 2004). Anyway, if you and your sisters are close, things shouldn't get weird. Sure when you come back you would have missed a lot but usually the really fun stuff happens in the spring and I am guessing from your message your only going away for the fall. As for you boyfriend, I have actually discussed this possibility with mine and he's totally for me going. He says it would be an awesome experience (not only am I am Spanish major but my ancestors are from Spain) and of course he would miss me, but we would stay together and somehow deal. If your boyfriend doesn;t understand what a chance this is and does anything BAD while your gone, then he isn't worth dating. But its not such a long time and I am sure you guys will be fine. Have tons of fun, I hear Spain is BEAUTIFUL! When you come back, PM me to tell me how it went !

[ivysis]

One of my sisters (and best friends) just got back from Scotland. I dont think it was hard for her. She kept in touch with all of us. The only rough thing was that some things changed within our chapter while she was gone and she has to adapt to that. But overall she was fine.

[ivysis]

One of my sisters (and best friends) just got back from Scotland. I dont think it was hard for her. She kept in touch with all of us. The only rough thing was that some things changed within our chapter while she was gone and she has to adapt to that. But overall she was fine.

[KerriMarie]

I did a study abroad program in London last fall, and it was a completely amazing experience. It was a little strange coming back to Kappa in the spring, but I would say the experience was more than worth it. Keep in touch with your chapter, e-mail is always good (and cheap!) and postcards are cheap to buy and send - just to let them know you're still thinking about them. Keep in touch with your close friends in the chapter, they'll keep you updated on gossip. The weirdest part is coming back and having all these new sisters that you don't know, but getting involved with things they're invovled in makes getting to know them pretty easy - like for me, a lot of our new girls played IM Soccer, so I always went to the games to cheer them on.

My big sister actually went to London with me and we lived together, and early on we discovered two Kappas from UF living in the flat right next door to us - so we had our little Kappa family in London! It was great meeting these girls and learning that my Kappa bonds extend beyond my chapter - the four of us got along really well and even spent our 12-day break exploring Europe together.

So have fun, take lots of pictures, and be safe!

[KappaKittyCat]

PhiStar,

Firstly, have a BLAST in Spain. I lived in Florence, Italy last for four months last fall, and it was the most amazing experience of my life (except Initiating as a Kappa, of course). Especially if you've never gone overseas before, which I hadn't, prepare for a wild ride that won't always be easy, but that will make you grow like nothing you've ever imagined. Secondly, I completely hear your concerns. Yes, it is very hard to be away from your sisters and your chapter. A semester abroad pulls you away from everything you're used to, but I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything.

My chapter was having a membership crisis of epic proportions while I was gone. We have deferred recruitment on my small campus, and I left behind four other active sisters (yes, four). To top it, I was membership chair. I had worked very hard over the summer with my advisors and sisters to plan everything out before I left. Because there was nobody to really fill my place while I was gone, I did a great deal of my office via email and transatlantic phone calls (which can be pricy!). When I got back, I was happier to see my sisters than anyone else on campus. I was rather weirded out by this whole load of new freshmen wandering around, looking at me and thinking, "Who are you and what are you doing on MY campus?" I felt rather disoriented. Here I'd had this AMAZING experience, and nobody'd really even noticed I was gone. Then I walked into our first chapter meeting. Darling, I was MOBBED. I cried all through our ritual that night. I was just so happy to see my sisters. They'd consciously left a place for me. They missed me and were glad I was back. They wanted to see my pictures and hear about my trip. They were the reason that I didn't have horrid re-entry shock.

While I was there, I missed those ties a lot. I felt very lonely at times. However, I did bond very much with other Greeks in my group. One girl especially, an Alpha Chi from DePauw, became very close with me. We called each other sisters; even though we weren't in the same chapter, we became very close and we shared the idea of sisterhood. I'd encourage you to seek out other Greeks amongst your fellow American students. I firmly feel that Greek women have a deeper understanding of what it is to be loyal and supportive to each other. We understand sisterhood, and it makes bonding very easy.

Another suggestion I have is to contact Phi Mu's HQ and see if they can hook you up with any Phi Mus living, studying, or travelling in Spain. I got back from Florence only to discover that one of my advisors had toured through there. She'd had no idea where I was in Europe or how to contact me, and I really wish that we'd been able to get in touch because it was really fun to show visiting friends around. Let people know how they can contact you while you're there, and you might be surprised. I also learned after the fact that there are tons of Kappas living in Italy. I could have met them, but I'd missed the opportunity. Use the inherent networking power of your GLO. It could be fun.

Coming home can be hard. I know that many of our chapters have trouble reintegrating and keeping people involved after they get back from junior year abroad. Some ideas to make this easier:

1) Send LOTS of postcards to your chapter, as well as letters and pictures. Ask them to put them up on a bulliten board in the chapter house or room or wing.

2) Ask if you can do an education session or program night about your trip.

3) Have a sisterhood night making food from the country.

4) Ask your chapter to make a little bulliten board (maybe the same one on which they put your postcards) with your picture and some stuff about you... ESPECIALLY if you'll be gone during Recruitment. That way the NM's will have some idea who you are. If you're not going to be the only one off-campus, they could put up a map with pins in it to show where you are.

5) If there are NM's while you're gone, ask for their addresses/email addresses and strike up a correspondance. I did this with one of my sisters who pledged while I was in Italy. When I got back and she walked into the room, I immediately knew that she was Polly. We becamse incredibly close right away because we'd done all the "getting to know you" stuff online and via s-mail while I was gone.

Overall, I would say that the key is to keep your foot in the door at home. Stay in touch and that'll make coming home easier.

Best of luck in your travels, and feel free to email me if you'd like to chat some more.

[lionlove]

I won't lie and say that it doesn't affect greek life. Your chapter will change and move on without you. It's not the end of the world though. Keep up through email/letters/phone calls etc. but don't expect to be as active as you are now. In my case, I decided to be a rho chi during fall recrutement because I do not know about everything that happened in my chapter last semester and I felt like that would hinder my chapter during rush.

Enjoy your study abroad. it can be the best experience of your life. It may sound hard to hear now but try to tear yourself away from your friends and your life back home and really try to assimilate into your host country. Your friends and family will still be there when you get back, trust me.

Have fun!

[PhiStar]

thanks for the posts everyone who's replied.
I'm really excited to go, countin down the days and such.
you've all shared such positive experiences, and dispelled some of my worries.
thanks gc-ers, you are great

[Shima-Mizu]

I'm sure you'll have a blast.

My big will be spending the fall semester in Japan, something which I plan to do eventually as well. We had 8 girls abroad last spring (in various places) and we often sent them letters and occasional care packages, so they were never far from our minds. When they wrote to us we would read their letters aloud to the whole chapter during our meetings.

So be sure to write your sisters, they'll be writing to you. While you miss them, they're back home missing you too.

[Munchkin03]

I studied in Rome during my Junior year. It was an amazing academic and social experience, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I did have to sacrifice the chapter presidency, but I would have gladly traded that drama for the things I got to do. Besides, my roomie was an Alpha Phi, we had DPhiE, KKG, and DG, AKA, and DKE represented--so if I ever felt like I was missing out, I could talk to other people about it. My chapter was used to sisters spending the semester or year abroad--so everyone was used to it.

As for the significant other--it depends on how well you handle distance in the first place. If you're a new couple, or one of those that are joined at the hip in that college way, it might be a problem. If you're an established couple and he's going to come visit, then it won't be as bad. One of my best friend's boyfriends told her straight up a month before she left that he wanted to break up with her when she went abroad. They struggled with the LD thing, but just couldn't hack it. We were able to deal with it pretty well--he came to visit for Spring Break and we talked maybe 2-3 times a week.

There's so much to do, really, that it's easy for you to not miss your old life as much as you do in the beginning.

[AXOMarq]

Hi!

I actually just got back from Spain about a month ago. I was there for 5 1/2 months, much longer than any other Marquette one-semester programs abroad. I studied in San Sebastian, it's such a beautiful area. Where will you be studying?

I had a rough time being away from my friends and family, but once I started meeting new people I started to have a blast. It was really interesting because I think my time abroad really make me closer to the sisters that I care about, I heard from 4 or 5 girls that kept me updated on things that were happening and it was simply wonderful. It was also pretty awesome being in San Sebastian last semester because I was AXO, my friend from Marquette was AZD, then from Richmond there was another AXO and a Pi Phi, I think there was someone from Dayton who was greek too, so it was really neat to meet people from other greek systems. Just make sure you keep an open mind when you're out there, I'm a Spanish minor, had about 9 years of spanish, and there were just times that I had to take a deep breath and realize that if they realize I'm foreign and don't speak fluently that they can still understand me as long as I tried. A few of my friends would ONLY hang out with people from the U.S and I don't really think they received any spanish speaking experience.

I don't really know what the point at the beginning of this was, I had a long day with 2 year olds today. I hope this makes sense, and hopefully helps a little! Let me know where you're headed in Spain!

[kateshort]

I won't lie to you-- it will be weird to some extent! If you go in spring, you'll miss your last months with your seniors; if you go in fall and your school has early recruitment, you'll miss all of the recruitment activities and all of your chapter's new sisters will be totally new to you! But don't let that stop you. You just need to be aware that it will be somewhat different.

Communication is very imporant. E-mail will probably be available to you, so use it! IM won't necessarily be feasible depending on when you can get online-- the time difference can be a real killer. Make sure to email your parents as well as your friends.

My boyfriend (now my husband) and I had to share my email account since he'd just graduated from school and hadn't gotten his own account yet. This was ten years ago, so we had to dial in from the townhouse we stayed in at Cambridge, England. sllllooooowwww connection. We would talk on the phone about once every two weeks, which was very often considering the cost. We also wrote actual snail-mail letters back and forth.

Make sure to save copies of any emails you send describing your trip-- they can become a kind of journal of your experiences. Keep a small written journal, too-- it's the kind of thing that you might want to share with a husband and kids someday.

Like I said, it'll be weird, but it's worth the weirdness! If you keep in touch with everyone, and stay interested in their lives, it'll be an easier transition.

[Tex1899]

Many students at Duke study abroad the fall of their junior year. Thus, for Duke's fraternities, there's a good chance you're going to elect a beginning sophomore as president, or you're going to have to convince someone who is getting ready to go into their senior year to run for president. Quite the predicament.

I did, and aside from joining my fraternity, it was the best thing I did while in college. You'll get a whole new perspective on things, and hopefully during your down time you'll come up with new ideas for your organization to make it even stronger.

Contact your Nat'l HQ and see if there are any alums living where you will be.

[Xylochick216]

I didn't think it was too difficult coming back to my chapter after six months in Australia. I was initiated in March and left in July for Australia, so I didn't have a long time with my chapter ahead of time. I kept up with sisters through email and IM (we were lucky and could have computers in our rooms). I also got all the chapter emails about what was happening, so I kept up that way. It was a bit sad missing out on a lot of the Greek traditions and parties and sisterhood that semester, but I hung out with a lot of Greeks in Australia.

I know some of the people from my school were very homesick to get back to their sisters at school and therefore spent a lot of time talking to them and hurrying to get home rather than exploring the country. They now regret not taking full advantage of their time there. I guess my advice is to make sure you do everything you want to do while you are abroad and don't spend a lot of time being homesick for your sisters/family/etc. You'll regret it later if you don't do a lot.

To answer the other part of your question, I left behind my boyfriend of 5 1/2 years at the time. I was very upset to leave him, but we talked on the phone twice a week. He understood that I didn't have lots of time/money to call home every day, and he knew I wanted to do a lot in Australia. I extended my stay by 7 weeks. I was upset about not seeing him, but I had such an amazing time that I really wasn't too sad. I knew I would be seeing him when I got back, but I didn't know when I would be back in Australia again. I wrote him a lot and he sent me packages.

Good luck with your study abroad I know it will be one of the best experiences of your life.


--Sharon