Being Away From Home - Learning, Unlearning, and Everything In Between

I’m spending this fall in London as part of my PhD - a research stay at a British university. So far, it’s been full of small joys, deep thinking, occasional homesickness, and many cups of tea (and coffee). But this isn’t the first time I’ve packed my life into a suitcase in the name of learning. And it probably won’t be the last.

Still, each time I’ve gone abroad — whether for a semester or a degree — I’ve come back changed in ways I didn’t fully expect.

Living Between Worlds, Long Before Leaving Home

People often ask what it’s like to live abroad. But truthfully, I was already living between cultures long before I ever boarded a plane. As a Norwegian with Palestinian roots and being Muslim growing up in Norway, I learned early on to move between worlds - to switch codes, juggle expectations, and translate myself without even realizing I was doing it.

So when I went to Minneapolis as an exchange student for my bachelor’s degree in social work, it wasn’t my first experience of being “in-between.” But it was the first time I was in a truly diverse environment for an extended period of time. And that brought something new: not just navigating my identity - but seeing how others saw me. Seeing how I saw others.

For the first time, I wasn’t just "different" - I was one of many kinds of different. That did something profound. It gave me a new language for my identity, and at the same time, it challenged it. It forced me to think more critically about race, power, and positionality. About how where we’re from shapes how we move through the world - and how we’re received in it. Much thanks to the courses I took as well as the diverse environment I was surrounded by.

A Long Journey, One Layer at a Time

Later, I moved to Essex, England, to do my master’s degree in human rights and cultural diversity. It was another layer - a new academic system, a new city, a new country, a new rhythm to life. It was also a moment where I began to connect my personal story to broader questions around migration, identity and sense of belonging.

Now, I’m in the final stretch of my PhD in child welfare from a cross-cultural perspective - a topic deeply rooted in my passions. I care about it not just academically, but personally. Because I know what it means to grow up between cultures. I know what it feels like to not be fully seen in one place, yet not fully belong in another.

Pursuing a PhD is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But it’s also one of the most meaningful. It challenges me not just intellectually, but emotionally and spiritually. And being abroad - yet again - adds another layer to that journey.

What Being Away Has Taught Me

Every time I’ve gone abroad for study or research, I’ve learned more than any syllabus could hold.

I’ve learned:

• That culture shock can hit hard - even when you think you’re used to it
  
• That building community from scratch takes courage and patience
  
• That "home" becomes both bigger and blurrier the more places you live
  
• That coming back home can be just as confusing as leaving it
  
• That growth often comes with grief - the quiet kind that no one warns you about
  
  

And perhaps most importantly: I’ve learned that being a global citizen isn’t about where you go. It’s about how you go.

How you listen. How you engage. How you carry what you’ve learned back into your everyday life. And how you hold space for others doing the same.

Why I’m Creating Something for You

Over the years, I’ve had many peers, co-workers and friends ask me what it’s really like to study abroad. Not just the logistics - but the identity shifts, the culture shocks, the loneliness, the friendships, the unexpected joys, and the invisible grief of coming home changed.

So, I’ve decided to create a free PDF guide for anyone planning a study or research stay abroad.

Whether you’re going for a semester, a full degree, or something in between, I hope this guide helps you prepare - not just practically, but emotionally. I want it to give you space to reflect, ground yourself, and make meaning from your time away. ➡️ [Press here to get the free PDF guide] 

Not going abroad? Stay connected anyway.
I write about global citizenship, cross-cultural identity, sense of belonging and the reality of doing a PhD.  Subscribe to my newsletter and receive thoughtful reflections, blog updates, and personal notes - just like a letter from a friend. ➡️ [Subscribe here to the newsletter]

Your Takeaway:

🌍 Global citizenship begins with the small stuff.
Offer your seat. Learn someone’s story. Say yes to discomfort. Study the world with your whole self - not just your mind.

And when you return - return gently. You're not the same. And that’s okay.