Dr. Emma, the Traveling Novice

A Brief Travel History of Emma Slaymaker

• I have never been out of the country.
• The farthest away from home (Knoxville, TN) I've been was Disney Land in California when I was six. 
• I've only ever been on planes with my parents, and the last time I was on a plane was a very long time ago.
• I get homesick in Maryville, TN, which is a whopping 19 miles away from home. 

 It is safe to say that I will be hit hard with culture shock, but that's not to say that it will be a completely painful blow. I considered my above travel history when I was picking a country to study abroad in, and I did end up vetoing India and Morocco. To put it bluntly, when I imagine myself studying abroad I never picture being in a place where I'm still surrounded by white people. That's not why I am studying abroad - to be surrounded by people of a different race - that's just an easy way of visualizing. I am studying abroad to learn about a culture that is very different from the only one I have ever known growing up in America. Culture in the United Arab Emirates still has similarities to the culture in America, but there are some sizable differences. For instance, the major (and governing) religion in the UAE is Islam.

My point is, basically, that I am studying abroad to subject myself to culture shock. It will be a life changing, growing, once-in-a-lifetime, learning experience. When I start to feel the negative effects of culture shock, which I assuredly will given my tendencies towards homesickness, I will remind myself why I am studying abroad.

And when it gets so bad that even that won't work, I also like making lists. Even now when I'm feeling sad, I will make a list of things to do to actively make myself feel better.

SOME ADVICE FROM DR. EMMA, PHD IN ADVICE
 One very important thing that I have recently learned is that you are responsible for making yourself happy. It sounds simple enough, but when I'm sad I'll frequently catch myself internally whining, "None of my friends want to hang out with me... Probably because all I do is sit in my room and watch Netflix," or, "If someone would just notice that I'm feeling down today that would be great! Is it too much to ask for a hug or something?" Those aren't exact internal dialogues, but you get the idea. I expect someone to swoop in and help make me feel better. Being sad about being sad will only make you more sad. It isn't always easy, but if you're feeling sad the first thing you can do is work on cheering yourself up. Anyway, this is something I will remind myself of if I ever feel sad and bogged down by the fact that I'm somewhere around 6,000 miles away from home and experiencing the new sensation of culture shock.