If you have FOMO, or the fear of missing out, this post is for you.
The entire summer leading up to my semester abroad, I had grown nothing but excitement for the experience ahead of me. Moving to Europe all by myself, without any of my friends or family, and living a life I never thought I would have imagined. My life at Chapman was at the back of my mind once I stepped onto my first of three connecting flights from Hawai’i to Rome.
I arrived in Italy and settled into my apartment in the quaint town of Perugia where my university was. Our program put on a welcome dinner for all of us, and soon enough I was making small
talk with new people from all over the country. However, it didn’t go as I expected. I had never been an extremely outgoing person, so after each conversation, I couldn’t help but miss the comfort of my friends at Chapman, the warmth of my family in Hawai’i, and even just the certainty of being in a familiar area. I missed being able to crack a joke with a friend who I knew would laugh, instead of walking on eggshells around all of these new people hoping they would find me interesting. Once the dinner was over, I went up to my room and cried.
This was the moment that my FOMO kicked in. My softball teammates had begun posting on social media about how they were reconnecting after being apart during the summer, texting in our group chat about the early morning lifts, and even going to get sweet treats after practices. Although fall is our off-season, I couldn’t help but be jealous that these girls would all be closer to each other than I was by the time I returned in January. I didn’t want everyone to forget about me. Even though I knew it was wrong, at that moment, a small part of me wished that I had never applied to study abroad just so I could be with my friends back in Orange.
If I had let this moment define my study abroad experience, I would not be the same person I am today. It is completely valid to feel overwhelmed and homesick, especially during the first couple weeks–even months. However, studying abroad is one of the best decisions you can make for yourself. After some time passed, I accepted that I was stuck in Perugia from August to 
December, and there wasn’t much I could do about it besides embrace the experience– so that’s what I did. I found myself exploring Perugia during the week with my classmates; trying new restaurants, shopping in new places, and making friends with Italian-speaking students. On weekends, I was exploring new countries with new people, completely forgetting about what was going on at home– I was more interested in looking at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and seeing the Basilica Sagrada Familia in Barcelona! I was fortunate enough to also visit many popular cities inside of Italy alone, such as Rome, Florence, and I even made the journey up north to see Lake Como. Of course, homesickness comes and goes, but over the course of the semester I learned to keep myself busy and surround myself with people and activities that kept my cup full.
Another thing that helped with homesickness was immersing myself in the local culture in Perugia. Unlike Rome and Florence, which are huge, tourist-infested cities, Perugia sits in the heart
of the central region of Italy: Umbria. It’s a very small town, filled with local shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and coffee shops. A lot of the locals living in Perugia did not know English, so I took my Italian class pretty seriously and indulged in the culture. I had never taken an Italian class before, so it was quite hard to pick up. However, once I started to get the hang of it, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Italians very much appreciate when Americans try to use their language. Almost every local I tried to practice my broken Italian with supported me and even tried to speak English back! Most of these conversations ended in laughs and wholesome exchanges, which eased me into getting adjusted with my new town and feeling like I belonged there. I began to visit the same coffee shops every day, and my roommates and I even made friends with a crepe shop owner that was next to our apartment- all because we tried to speak Italian with him one time.
The biggest takeaway I have for anyone looking to study abroad is to always say yes. Say yes to that weekend trip with those people you just met. Say yes to exploring a new part of the city. Say yes to attending an Italian rap battle, even if you have no idea what they are saying (yes, I did this and yes, it was hilarious). I could go on with memories I have that shaped my study abroad semester, but at the heart of it all, all it took was me saying “yes.” If I said “I don’t feel like it, no thanks,” I would have had raging FOMO the entire semester and been trapped in the shackles of my own doing. Saying yes cured my need to worry about what others were doing and focus on being present with myself and my new friends in my new home.
Just because other people are moving forward with life, doesn’t mean you can’t too. Leaving friends and family behind is challenging, but living in a new
continent forces you to explore things outside of your comfort zone and create unique memories that you’ll have for the rest of your life. They’ll always be there when you have a new story you want to tell. What you put into your study abroad is what you get out, so embrace all of the highs and lows, keep in touch with friends and family, and give yourself the adventure you deserve. Have an amazing time abroad!
Kaitlyn Miyasato
Major: Applied Human Physiology
Minor: Business Administration
Semester: Fall 2025
Location: Perugia, Italy
Program: The Umbra Institute
