10 Steps to Make Anywhere Feel Like Home: Study Abroad Lessons

Happy International Women's Day!! 🦋 may we love + empower ourselves and the incredible women around us <3

Whether you're moving abroad, thinking about studying in another country, or wondering how to make somewhere new feel like home, I hope this video gives you peace and comfort in stepping outside your comfort zone!! New places teach us SO much about ourselves and the world ✨ if you have the opportunity to live abroad, SEIZE IT! Find those opportunities!! Create them!! I promise you'll never ever regret it. So much love from taipei! x

Thank you! This is exactly what I needed. I’m doing an Erasmus exhange semester in Bilbao very soon and it will be the first time I’m abroad for that Long. This was super helpful! I’m so excited but also a little scared, but that’s okay, because I’m still doing it

I really love the way you talk about life in general and also the passion you put into your speeches… you’re a source of inspiration! Thank you a lot🫶🏻

I also think patience is a big one— it’s difficult, but trying to not project something onto a space before you’ve arrived (eg. this space will be where I find peace, I’m gonna feel local right away, etc). Approaching it with open mindedness and acknowledging it will be difficult and unpredictable has in my experience allowed me some grace when I don’t click with a new place right away! It’s okay if you’re unhappy/stressed/etc— the point isn’t to escape life, it’s to live it somewhere new. 😊

Thank you so much for your advice. 🥺 I'm going to travel to Australia next year to find a job while I stay at a friend's house. I'd never considered traveling there in my life before she moved there with her family. So I'm really doing everything that I need to travel there and seize this opportunity!

I'm really nervous but excited at the same time.
You truly are an amazing human being. Thank you again for sharing this valuable information. 💖

Thanks for sharing i😊

idk if you're every going to read thus but I'm moving to a new city for my masters, suoer anxious but this video reassured me that I'll be okay 💓

It was extremely helpful dear jade!! I used to live in a far away city in my own country for the master degree, the language was different there and although I was in my country, it kind of felt like living abroad. I'm considering leaving to pursue a PhD degree and your tips were awesome, thank you!! 🤍✨🌼

i just came across your channel and idk what is it about you, i just wanna keep listening to you talk. omg is this what love is haha

I was feeling very homesick when watching and this helped me so much!

💞💞💞thank you jade i love your videos

you can live abroad, now try liveaboard🤣 - take home with you

The idea of being alone does make me anxious but just knowing the experience, opportunities, memories, knowledge I would gain. It makes it worth while.
Study abroad for my university will just be one of my best achievements ever😌.

The more I watch your channel, the more I learn about my own self. You are like a magic to me. Thank you for doing this and I hope you keep sharing these gems of knowledge forever.

So good to see you growing up your fan since your o level videos

❤❤❤

Be safe in Argentina they really hate the uk because of the Falklands
I also miss the EU but sadly a majority of the uk are uneducated so voted to leave :(

Thank you for this video :) I just spent 3 month in Uganda for my second master thesis and especially the part in the end with the ability to live abroad depending on how strong your passport is was something I learned several times in the last 8 years during all my adventures. It is a huge privilage to be able to travel to almost every country in the worls with almost non existing visa issues.

This is such an incredible video you made, reminding me of my exchange semester I had a couple of months ago. I was really happy to be abroad but also very stressed and overwhelmed. That's why I was feeling reluctant to go abroad again after coming back to my home country, but you gave me the courage to go out and explore again. I feel my heart is beating and wondering where should I go next! Thanks for sharing your lessons Jade :) Btw, I'm also a vegan in Seoul so I totally get the hardship of living as a vegan here. Wish there would be more vegan restaurants here for someday when you come back to Seoul.

I am doing the Lingoda language Sprint for French right now!

Thank you for this video! I'm moving to Spain for a semester abroad next year, and this is very useful since it's the first time I will be living abroad for more than a month. Beyond excited! :)

You should move to Australia. It’s the best

This resonated with me a lot. I did an exchange semester in Seoul last year. Here's some things I did to make it feel like home very quickly (and I still deeply miss living there):

1. Meet new people and make new friends! I'm talking other exchange students, but also the local students at your uni, your teachers, your roommate(s) if you have any, as well as other locals you meet along the way. I'm a bit of an introvert but surrounding myself with people and being socially proactive made a HUGE difference on how I felt and what I ended up experiencing. People make it feel like home very, very quickly. Don't forget to stay in touch with your friends and family back home as well. Some alone time is fine too, very necessary sometimes or very fun actually, but there's absolutely no need to get lonely.

2. Immerse yourself in the culture as much as possible! Studying the language and practicing with it, adjusting to social customs, trying many local foods, learning about the country's history and current political climate, the list goes on. Makes you a lot more accustomed to life there, gives you plenty of interesting topics to think or talk about, and really adds to your overall experience.

3. Explore the crap out of your area! For me, this was THE most fun thing to do, be it alone or with friends. Just figuring out how to get around is fun on its own, but knowing you'll find something new around literally every corner is something else... I was never short on serotonin and dopamine during my time in Seoul, let's just say that. Explore outside of the city too! And like Jade says, MARK OR PIN THINGS! There will be SO many places you want to see, so many restaurants you wanna try, it's way too much to do in just a few days or weeks. So mark them to save for later. Someday you'll find that that thing you've been meaning to check out is actually very close to your current location... makes your days a lot more spontaneous as well, because maybe you didn't plan to go there today, yet here you are. I'm emphasizing the marking and pinning because I didn't do this and I ended up missing a LOT of spots, which is just a bummer.

4. Decorate your living space! Of course you wanna go out more often than not, but don't ignore your room -- really make it yours for the time being. Take something with you from home so that you still feel connected, hang some photos or art, buy some plants that you like... sometimes you actually have to study at home or you might be sick in bed, so it really helps that your living space feels warm and welcoming and homey to you.

There's lots more, but these are definitely the four main things imo.

watching your videos feels like such a huge hug especially when you're actually studying abroad at the moment :) can't agree more ! and I think it really is important to take into account the overwhelming moments that a life abroad can bring; but the more we are conscious of them the more wisdom we will have to take pleasure in living the whole experience. once again, THANK you Jade for making us feeling less alone, more alive and certainly happier <3

I really think you could set up a program where you just teach us about life and culture in other countries!! Half tourism but also half education! It would really help connect people from different countries and show we're just all humans living on the same planet!!!

lingoda did me soooo bad

This influencer is a great role model for anyone looking to make positive changes in their life, as they lead by example and inspire others to do the same.

I’m in Aberdeen for an internship and I really needed this , thanks jade ❤

Hi everyone) I want to join the art community for artists and designers, it can be chats or groups online. I have moved to England from Ukraine, I'm now learning English, and want to find friends by interests. So maybe you know something ) Thank you! 🎨🌸

cuando regresas a Buenos Aires que te queria conocer???

I’m so glad you made that video. I didn’t move to another country to study but I can relate with feeling overwhelmed in a big city. I’ve been living in a small village for 18 years and I miss fields, birds chirping and fresh air every day. But I know it’s going to get better :)) thank you for this video!

BRILLIANT GIRL

Jade You are the most amazing person on this earth❤❤

I love you sweetie

your videos make me want be traveling right now so badly & i love the cinematography

Hi Jade. I hope all is well. Am requesting for some help. I got a B in Economics and a D in Math. I hot that in math but I really love it. So I was asking which course at the UNIVERSITY would you advise me to do. Thankyou. I will be grateful to receive your reply.

Finding Nemo is not a nonentity. Far better than The Incredibles, which is a film for children. 🧌

Hey Jade!
I wanted to ask does the travel expenses across different countries, residential fee and food expenses are all included in 40,000$ you pay for a year?

Hello Jade! I've been in love with your videos for the past few months, and you inspire me so much! I've lived around the world my whole life, constantly starting at new schools and making new friends, and this video just made me so happy to see that someone as amazing as you discovered and appreciates the beauty of living abroad, and involving yourself in and learning about different cultures. I'm also so grateful that now you've made a video that could make others less nervous and feel more guided about living abroad! Again, thank you, and I hope you continue to cherish these experiences :D

Hi all ! I need advice : I want to study in the Netherlands for approximately 2 years for my master degree. The studies I'm going to do there really passionate me and the same program doesn't exist in my home country (in Europe) even though we have good universities. I always wanted to study abroad, but I was thinking more 5 months or so. 2 years seems like a big leap of faith. I'm the only one in my group of friends that is gonna study abroad. I'm scared about a lot of things, but the main ones are : what if I don't make friends when I'm there, what if I feel lonely. What if me and my home friends grow apart and it won't be the same anymore (considering I've known most of them for years it's unlikely but i'm scared either way haha). What if I miss them and my family too much, what if FOMO takes over while they do stuff without me ? What if I'm really struggling there with money , grades and mental health, who is going to help me ?
To all of you that read so far thank you for taking time to read my texts :)

Insighful Jade! As always I appreciate your videos so much. So much truth in it.
Greetings from a Peruvian 🇵🇪 living en Japan

Hi!!!! I was just accepted into a summer chinese program in HsinChu Taiwan, and I'm soooo excited. HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?? Please tell me everything!!

Hi Jade. I'm sure you don't remember my name but you attended an Empowered by Vee event and spoke to me literally on face-time XD. I didn't get the chance to speak to you properly then but i just wanted to let you know that your videos have changed my perspective and mindset about my academic career. I'm only 14 and in year 10. Previously I've suffered a lot from academic pressure mostly because i am in a social environment flooded by the 'perfect' students. But as i said, your videos have helped me get myself together and I'm actually enjoying my studying more. You have inspired me to change my path and hopefully I'll manage to achieve the grades i'm aiming for. Thank you so much for your guidance through not only videos but your book (LOVE IT BTW), and i hope you are able to see this message. You are incredible and you have really changed my life as a student, I can't wait to meet you one day!
Keep doing what you're doing x
- Zehna Ahmad

I agree with every aspect!! You're so young and already so wise, Jade 💖

Random question: would you prefer if your degree was 1 year in each country istead of 1 semester? And perhaps you could choose which four countries within the 7 options minerva offers

This video gave me a lot of ideas. I really like how large are your advices, it is easier to take them and apply them in a personal way in our lives. I wish you the very best in this semester, I hope you will be approaching the end of your degree with a peaceful mind :)

Thank you so much for your advices 🌱❤️

thakn you! this has helped me so much. it would be very helpful if you would like to make a video about how to research the country you're planning to go to :). I am kind of struggling with that right now. But this was very helpful thank you :))

Do your parents come with you when you study abroad? Also, how do they give you so much freedom?