Before going abroad, I had it in my head that I would have so much more free time than I typically have during a normal semester at Susquehanna. I definitely have more free time abroad, but I didn’t think I would have to use my time management skills in Ireland as much as I currently do.
Time management is something that I consider myself to be very good at. During my SU semesters I always have a daily routine that includes homework time, class time, meal time, and me time. My semester at NUIG has changed what my daily routine looks like drastically. I am in class for significantly less hours per day at NUIG than at SU. This reduced my allotted “class time” in my daily routine. I also spend much less time doing homework at NUIG because my course load is much lighter. Class and homework time used to take up about 70% of my day, but at NUIG they only take up about 40%. This means that I have more time to focus on myself during my semester abroad. Now just because I have more time to myself doesn’t mean that I spend it doing nothing. Taking care of yourself properly takes considerably more time abroad than it would at home. Cooking and grocery shopping eats up a large portion of my free time at NUIG. These are two things that I would have never budgeted time for in my day at Susquehanna. You also have to remember to take care of your health when abroad. This means getting regular exercise, making doctors appointments when feeling ill, and acquiring the appropriate medicine if you become ill. These may seem like simple tasks but there is a lot more to scheduling doctors appointments and getting treated when abroad. At home its easy to pick up the phone and make a doctors appointment because you’ve probably had the same doctor for years, same health insurance, and your medications most likely get sent to the same pharmacy every time you need one. However, when you are abroad it is important to remember that it is going to take more time to do these simple tasks. If you need to see a doctor it is your responsibility to find one on your own that is willing to work with your insurance from home or the temporary insurance you have while abroad. You have to get yourself to this appointment and to the pharmacy if needed. Theses are all things that you should budget time for or research in advance. It’s important to remember that while hopefully you have people at home supporting you, those people are thousands of miles away and it your responsibility, and yours alone, to take care of you. My advice would be to budget your free time carefully. Make sure you are eating properly, staying healthy, both physically and mentally. Make sure you are attending classes and doing your assignments because it is easy to forget that you’re still a student when abroad. It may take a couple weeks to find the right balance of work time and free time, but once you do you’ll be sure to have a happy and successful semester.
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