As you look to study abroad, you might think that making friendships abroad might seem like a daunting task given your destination, but the long-term effects are worthwhile! Developing lifelong connections with other international students and your local peers will provide you with a deeper understanding of other cultures, after interacting effectively with people from cultures besides their own. If you’re coming back from being abroad, you’re probably thinking about how your new friends from abroad will play into the rest of your life.

In 2015, a research study measured 571 adolescents from Germany regarding their interpretation to intercultural competence and characteristics that matter most in various friendships. Intercultural friendships are defined as, “a friendship in which the friend is perceived to have different cultural affiliations than oneself” (Schwarzenthal et al., 63).

Researchers within the intercultural psychology community examined the aspects of intercultural situations that influence adolescents toward cultures beside their own. Essentially, studying abroad presents students with windows of opportunities to expand their views of the world and reflect on the impact of acclimating to an unfamiliar culture.  

In today’s blog, we’re going to examine the specific ways that connections abroad can last a lifetime!    

The Wellness Perspective 

Why should you, as a student, care about your wellness when it comes to relationships with your peers abroad? 

Students should consider the connection between their wellness and relationships while they’re abroad because it will drive your experience abroad and once you come home. Researchers from The Research Center for Internet Psychology and School of Psychology in Canada explored the dimensions of friendships and determined how the wide-spread usage of technology affects the features of friendship.

This study, in particular, validated why friendships enriches one’s personal life, primarily because “friendship is essential for wellbeing” (Amichai-Hamburger et. al 38). In this context, wellbeing regarding friendships, refers to the concept that human beings receive companionship through meaningful interactions with one another, from rewarding and mutually positive social situations. 

Moreover, the implications of friendship directly relate to one’s emotional and psychological being. According to a research study conducted in 2012 regarding the variations in offline and online friendships and the impact it has on one’s mental health, an important benefit of friendship is, “[the] ability to provide various forms of support, social and material, at times of stress” (Amichai-Hamburger et. al 36).

One could even argue that a critical component of survival includes maintaining friendships, due to fulfilling relationships playing a major role in physical and emotional well-being. It’s important to also acknowledge the improvement in one’s happiness, as a result of a close bond or friendship. To summarize, the contribution that human connections have are significant, everywhere in the world! 

Developing Friendships During Programs 

The variety of friendships abroad get planted and nurtured from your first days and weeks that eventually blossom and form into different, life-long connections. For instance, homestay families create an initial bond with peers and adults within a home in a host country that later extend outside of your home, and EdOdyssey supports you along the way. 

EdOdyssey’s own custom designed programs and study abroad terms afford students the advantage of staying in homestays, meeting local students, and feeling connected to the culture. One of our high school students did a homestay in southern Spain, and he mentioned that he liked engineering and trains. We matched him with a family, and his homestay father worked for the Spanish train company and took him to the local train station and told him about his work. When there is potential for connections, we seek to bring that connection together because it acts as encouragement later on to stay in contact with one another upon return home! 

A degree of comfortability and closeness directly results from insightful conversations with host families. Not only do they act a great resource for local culture and language skills, but being in daily proximity with one another grants a whole new level of appreciation one might not have had if they stayed in a dorm or hotel. Living with host families makes experiences abroad all the more rewarding, and prompts many students to continue keeping in touch for years to come. 

Keeping Connections Alive during Study Abroad   

Why is it important to maintain bonds abroad? 

A vital aspect of being abroad involves maintaining bonds with friends, whether someone currently studies abroad or has already returned home. Students can sometimes focus too much on the fear of missing out (FOMO) when they can’t spend time with their friends from home. Instead, it’s wise to be aware of the many possibilities to bond with local and international students within the host university and country. 

These particular interactions show evidence that these initial connections have potential to evolve into lifelong friendships! The German study determined that, “active engagement with diverse cultural perspectives can promote intercultural learning” (Schwarzenthal et al., 70-71). This outcome supports the idea that intercultural socialization in friendships does offer opportunities to exchange cultural perspectives and valuable learning experiences (Schwarzenthal et al., 72).

Overseas programs, homestays, and service learning opportunities allow for personal growth. Intercultural friendships and interactions not only assist students by increasing intercultural skills, but also open up conversations with diverse perspectives (Schwarzenthal et al., 63). Overall, developing connections abroad generates a greater variation in values, beliefs, and worldviews, compared to friendships from the same culture. 

Upon returning home from studying abroad, a realistic piece of advice accommodates both parties by not forcing overseas friends to stay in immediate and direct contact every single day. Releasing pressure from one another will alleviate frustration when dealing with time zones and schedules, and allows ample room to cherish and appreciate the physical time spent together abroad. 

Technology has added immense value to today’s society, and the ability to connect with friends around the globe has created an incredibly convenient for study abroad students to develop and maintain friendships. With either scenario, whether it’s connecting with friends from home while abroad or vice versa, “electronic communication allows two people to interact without being present at the same time” and supports the idea that, “friends provide invaluable social support...at stressful times,” no matter the mode of the interaction (Amichai-Hamburger et. al 33). 

Though the ways in which friendships develop typically progress through close proximity and the amount of effort put into the relationship, “once this closeness is established it can be equally fulfilling,” irrespective of being online or in person (Amichai-Hamburger et. al 35).

When you create close bonds that can be sustained throughout life transitions, you truly make the most of the time abroad. These lifelong connections are irreplaceable and valuable because they remind you of your own power to overcome obstacles and challenges in a new place!

Developing bonds with others while overseas does not have to take months, sometimes the most spontaneous interactions become the most profound. No matter the amount of time you’ve been abroad, it’s important to give thought to past experiences.

Check out “Six Key Questions to Reflect on Your Experience Abroad” if you’ve already gone abroad and are thinking of going again, or if you want to get a sense of what study abroad might look like after you come home!

Si usted está interesado en leer o compartir este blog en español, por favor continue a "Por Qué Tus Amistades Internacionales Durarán Toda La Vida" que fue traducido por nuestros amigos de Travolución.

If you're interested in reading or sharing this blog in Spanish, please enjoy the translated version of this blog "Por Qué Tus Amistades Internacionales Durarán Toda La Vida" that was translated by our friends at Travolución.

Sources

Amichai-Hamburger, Yair, Mila Kingsbury, and Barry H. Schneider. “Friendship: An old concept with a new meaning?” Computers in Science Behavior, vol. 29, 2012, pp. 33-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.05.025 

Schwarzenthal, Miriam, Linda Juang, Maja K. Schachner, and Fons J.R. van de Vijver. “‘When birds of a different feather flock together’ - intercultural socialization in adolescents’ friendships”. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, vol. 72, 2015, pp. 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2019.07.001