Studying Abroad + Sailing

During my semester abroad, I struggled the most with staying in one place. Now I understand the inherent paradox here. A key part of undertaking a study abroad placement is to temporarily live and work someplace else, away from what you know, from what is familiar and be away from home. ‘It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to study in Germany’, people told me. And exploring a new university town was exciting. Yet I felt stuck, obliged to stay in one place, and to ‘make the most of it', the most of the limited time in Germany. I couldn’t shake off the claustrophobic static feeling I had, and I struggled. To cope, I found freedom and escape in sailing and below are presented some blog entries from various voyages I undertook simultaneous to my study in Germany:

22/06/2022 There’s no freedom greater than sailing on the West Coast of Scotland. Some may say it’s regressive, going back (my home uni is in Scotland), but I can’t agree. Geographically it may be, but the Inner and Outer Hebrides are far from what anyone experiences in ‘ordinary’ student life. Within a couple nautical miles, you are surrounded by the isles and with not a house in sight one can stare down the seemingly infinite Sound of Jura. The mountainous turrets of Mull are silhouetted against the sky. The life and lights of Oban are far behind us now, wilfully forgotten and a distant memory. My mind is at once occupied by the sea and islands alone. I calculate tidal gates and weather windows and when the time is right, we spin through the infamous Corry Vreckan. Today, the sea is vengeful, turbulent and throws us from side to side. The Atlantic funnels into this small channel where the seabed is littered with high peaks and deep troughs. The sea boils and corkscrews perilously as a result, challenging the courage of many a sailor. The ship delivers us safely across the troubled water where sailors are temporarily suspended, at the mercy of the elements. Life falls away and the focus is the sea.

25/06/2022 What brings the mental barrier to swimming in a sea that stretches for kilometres below you? Surely the concentration of sharks will be lower than if one swims in water of just a few metres. Regardless, the first jump into the deep blue sea is always accompanied by a surge of adrenaline. 26/06/2022 I wish I could somehow capture the night skies. Light pollution doesn’t enter the equation and there remains barely a patch of sky unmarked. Shooting starts so frequent they lose their wonder. The shine of the sky is mirrored by the sea. Phosphorescence streams along the hull as we sail quietly at night. 11/07/2022 A trip from Åmøy havn, Norway to Inverness, Scotland, brought a different kind of release. Not the kind of freedom from intense joy, but from the adrenaline of risk taking. We sailed over the North Sea through a weather depression, which brought really strong winds of over 40mph, a horribly uncomfortable sea and bitter cold. All in July. Rolling and surging in over 4-5m waves dressed in full waterproofs was not quite the sunny Norwegian fjord sailing retreat I’d had in mind. Arriving in Inverness could not have brought a greater sense of relief and accomplishment. During some of the lowest moments on this trip, I vowed I would never sail again. Now, being on land just two hours after a hot shower and traditional Scottish breakfast, I’m ready for more!

Yet still I feel conflicted. While I’ve found freedom in sailing, it’s just this that has taken me away from my place of study. How can I reconcile ‘missing’ time during my study abroad placement, a unique opportunity, and seeing the world, the places and the people in it through sailing? Now, in no way do I advocate for spending time away while on a study abroad placement. However to overcome my personal challenges, sailing actually allowed me to focus on study, new friendships and exploring a new university city; importantly, sailing gave me space to breath during a challenging and rewarding study abroad experience. In this way, I’m advocating for whoever comes next to find their own way of coping. Studying abroad does present challenges, and how one meets and overcomes these is a big part of the experience.