As a study abroad student, you exist in a weird, liminal space. You are very much a tourist, freshly arrived in your city of choice, still spending weekends doing trips and experiences that locals wave off.
Except for a few days here and there, that changes. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to have a friend drop by your city for a weekend. Suddenly, you are no longer the tourist; you are the tour guide. You are the one answering questions, suggesting restaurants and planning activities.
It makes you realize that you know more than you think. Personally, I don’t try to claim expert knowledge of Dublin. True, I’ve spent large swaths of time exploring its many winding streets, but I’ve only been here for four months and don’t claim to have half the knowledge of a local. But when you’re walking beside someone on their first day, you realize you do know your city.
I know the bus routes in Dublin and the best spots for coffee and scones, which streets have the best thrift stores and how to get from point A to point B. I know how to handle the crazy weather, and I know which pubs play live music every night. I know what I like; in essence, I know my Dublin.
Sometimes, study abroad students sell themselves short. They say that they’ve spent so little time in their city in the grand scheme of things, so they can’t claim it as their own. But the gift of studying abroad is finding a new place that is distinctly yours.
No, you don’t know it like a local, you know it like yourself. There is a benefit in finding your place in a new city, because it shows you that it is possible.
Moving is scary, and for many people, college is the first time they leave their home and friends behind to go somewhere new. That’s why the first year of college is so scary; it’s not the academics, it’s the culture. Studying abroad gives you another chance to do that, to go someplace entirely different and meet completely new people. You get more practice at change and another shot at establishing yourself. And, just like you show your parents around Arthur Avenue on parents’ weekend, you get to show your friends around when they visit.
My goal when I decided to study abroad was that if I returned to Dublin in 10 years, I would still know my way around. So I try to walk the streets with my head up, taking in my surroundings so I know it, but I couldn’t be sure it had worked until I was showing someone those same streets.
Suddenly, my little corners of a new city were someone else’s first experience, the places I had stumbled upon created someone’s perception of Dublin. It’s validating, taking your friend to the coffee shop you frequent and having them enjoy it. It makes you feel like you’re doing a good job of learning your way around and lets you bring your new experiences together with your Fordham friends.
It’s scary, because you have only a day or two to show them the little life you’ve created for yourself, but in the end, I think you get to know your city just a little bit better. Of course, when I’m out and about in Dublin, I still very much feel like a newbie, but it was nice to spend one weekend as the guiding local, getting to welcome someone to a place I’ve grown to love.
