Today I want to talk about a topic that may be a little different from traveling, learning, and culture within Germany. That being how to cope with difficult times while you’re abroad. If you are anything like me I know it is always hard to admit that something might be wrong and even worse when it comes to asking for help. However, the problem (no matter what kind) that you might be going through only becomes a large issue if you don’t know how to cope with it in your new surroundings. How to do it? While I claim no perfection in the matter I can share with you what helped me.
During these past weeks I went through some family matters that, although they are personal, you can sum up with a sad and frustrating situation. This is not the first time something of this matter happens in my family, however the situation in which it happened for me was different; I don’t have close friends here, I can’t just drive home, and the resources we have at Hope are not available. Therefore there are two ways to go about this, you can keep your issues to yourself and silently burn out or be proactive about it. Find one or two people that, although you might not be best friends with him/her, you would trust to be confidential. Those two people might not do exactly what you would expect; however the great aspect of humanity is that we all know love and comfort. Those people will make you, in some way, feel better and be there for you.
Although this is just one suggestion I assure you it is truly helpful. Because the last thing you want is to look back on your study abroad and that issue be what you remember. It is okay to ask for a little comfort some times and in the end it will only make your relationships abroad stronger, your time better and help you move forward.