It’s been about two weeks since I’ve flown back to Philadelphia from my 10 weeks in Costa Rica. I had terrible flight anxiety before I left back in January, but on the way back I was much more relaxed. My suitcase was still in Miami when I finally landed in Philadelphia, but luckily the AA rep was able to locate it immediately and it was delivered to me the very next day :). In the past, I would’ve cried in the airport, but I was so exhausted and ready to go home that I just handled it and left. My mom was also there to pick me up, so seeing her helped calm me down too.
I spent the first week mostly just sleeping and enjoying being back in my apartment. I have a beautiful view and I missed waking up to it everyday.
Going from hearing birds, dogs and cooking in the morning back to trains, traffic and airplanes has been interesting but not at all a rough transition. I was really grateful to have some down-time between returning from Costa Rica and the start of my spring/summer Co-op cycle. I bought groceries for myself for the first time in almost 3 months, too! Cooking for myself again has been really nice. I was nervous that I would have gotten too used to having my meals provided, but I truly do enjoy to cook so it has been a pleasure to be able to do so again.
Something interesting is that before I left for study abroad, I was comfortable with the idea of just staying inside for an entire day or more even if I wasn’t sick. In Costa Rica, staying inside the house all day was not really an option and not something I even wanted to do because, hello, I was in Costa Rica! So, in my return back home, the idea of staying in my apartment for an entire 24 hours is much less appealing to me. I’ve been more motivated to find things to do outside of my normal routine. For example, my boyfriend has a friend who works in the Kimmel Center and sometimes has free tickets for shows. We went to see an orchestra performance of some Beethoven classics for fun.
In general, re-adjusting to life back at home has been very easy because I missed it a lot. I miss my friends in Costa Rica and the gorgeous views, but I missed my friends and family at home and my views here just as much. I feel very lucky to have had a great life abroad and a great one to return to at home. I’m also happy to be starting a Co-op I enjoy- I think if I was coming back to more classes, I would feel very differently xD.
A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:
The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.
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