I have come across few statuses in Twitter where someone complained about students studying abroad are enjoying themselves more rather than studying and those students in the local universities are doing more “studying” and not having time to enjoy. The overseas students often get stereotyping according to the country that we’re located. I am a medical student from Russia and I am pretty sure some of the students get: “You must be enjoying looking at pretty girls/hot guys in Russia.” Or “Wow you must have been drinking vodkas and having your time of your life in Russia.” Well, these are only some of the examples I get. Do you get any stereotyping according to the country that you are studying at?
Some of my friends who are into studying have their opinions on how students should be.
“Students’ priority is to study and expand your knowledge.”
“You will lose your knowledge if you enjoy too much because there’s only fun inside of your head.”
…and many more.
I agree. Sometimes I do forget about my studies when I have fun. I mean most of us do because we want to have fun and relax. But that does not mean that we are neglecting our studies. Besides, we are in a foreign country after all. We can enjoy our life besides studying by exploring this country or other countries. It is not about neglecting studies or money factors; yet it is about opening our eyes into different perspective of our life rather than studying for 24hours.
When we talk about “enjoying”, people will try to relate clubbing/alcohol/concerts. No, no, no. Enjoyment comes in different levels and types. Some people enjoy learning new musical instruments, sleeping, learning new languages, sports, traveling, trying out new foods, shopping, singing etc. Different activities give you different satisfaction compare to getting great result from studying.
As a student, you must know when to enjoy. Of course, you cannot travel out of the country when you are in a study week and miss your exam or sleeping the whole day and study last minute for exams.
This article is not just all about students who studied abroad, I did some findings on the local students too. Contradicting to “local students only have time for studying” to my amaze, most of them has different activities to enjoy besides studying. They take up activities such as dancing, backpacking to random islands, road trip with family, etc. One of them actually was giving me the advice, “Enjoy your life when you are still a student.”
According to her, life changes drastically after you are working. During the years as a student, at least you can find some times to spare for your activity easily because your job is only to study and sit for coming exams. When you are working, it’s quite hard to be free like you used to be as a student. One of them quoted “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” stating out there is a need to enjoy while studying because those moments are worth keeping, rather than just sitting on your study table and memorizing theories.
Students who study abroad do study most of the time like the locals, and we enjoy too. If we need to go on an expensive trip, we save money for it. We know money don’t grow on trees. We earned extra money for travelling with catering, working (if allowed), save money for each month or ask for extra pocket money if our parents can afford it. We do not live like a king or queen in other countries.
Study abroad is not about enjoying only; Study abroad gives you skills like cross cultural communication, flexibility, an open mind, the ability to work with people from different backgrounds and adaptability to new situations. We do not want to miss those enjoyments during our stay in a foreign land. Remember that our study abroad experience is a once in a lifetime chance to live and study overseas. While accomplishing your dreams, don’t forget to stop and enjoy life too. Somehow you need something to relieve your stress and forget about all the books and studying schedule, don’t you? But anyway, as long as you take care of yourself while enjoying and do great in your studies at the same time, which should not be a problem.
Finally, I would like to thank my friends, overseas and local, who gave their honest opinions on this matter regardless of the study field they are in right now. I wish all the best to all of the overseas and local students in their studies.
D’Dyanna Lajamin is a 4th year Sabahan medical student currently studying in Kursk State Medical University, Russia. Know more about her under the Young Columnist tab.