Welcome back to another edition of East & Weast!
For this issue, I am excited to talk about what it is like to prepare for and discover one’s identity, culture, and diversity abroad. We’ll also cover essential topics such as LGBTQIA+ dynamics, mental health, and physical well-being. Whether you’re a prospective student preparing for departure or an advisor looking for pre-departure frameworks, this guide offers practical insights into studying and living outside your home country.
What We’ll Cover:
- Questions to ask yourself before studying abroad
- First-generation & heritage vs. non-heritage experiences
- Diversity & microaggressions
- Accessibility & disabilities
- LGBTQIA+ perspectives
- Mental & physical health onsite
- Academic dynamics & expectations
- Re-entry support
💡 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Studying Abroad
Studying abroad comes with many perks, but it also requires thorough preparation—especially for students navigating unique worries, from first-generation worries, academic logistics to financial, physical, and mental health considerations.
Some general questions to ask yourself:
- Motivation: What inspired me to study abroad, and what challenges do I anticipate facing?
- Cultural Connection: Is my location choice inspired by a desire to reconnect with my cultural roots, or is it driven by pure curiosity?
- Local Norms: What is the culture like where I will be studying, and how does it compare to my home environment?
- Perceptions: What common stereotypes from my home country might be perceived differently overseas?
Having studied abroad as both a first-generation heritage-seeking student and a non-heritage-seeking student, I wanted to document my own process of answering these questions throughout my global education journey.
🎒 Identity & Background
1. First-Generation Perspective
To be completely honest, being a first-generation student wasn’t something I focused on prior to studying abroad, as I have been abroad before. Growing up in California, I had traveled to Guangzhou a few times with my family. Over time, traveling abroad started to feel more “normal.” While the 12+ hour flights were never fun, traveling with family made the hustle and bustle manageable, and most importantly helped me receive my first exposure to a foreign country.
Additionally, seeing 2–3 of my cousins study abroad during their undergraduate years deeply inspired me. I knew I wanted to go abroad even before attending an official info session.
However, my goal for studying abroad was different from a simple vacation. I was taking on a brand-new challenge: living and studying in Beijing, China—a city I had never visited—completely on my own, while navigating visas, registration, and paperwork independently. As a first-generation, I felt the urge of needing to be fully prepared with my applications and succeed in my program, while also considering the education I am getting out of from the program.
2. Heritage-Seeking Reasons (Beijing)
As a Chinese American, I wanted to reconnect with my cultural roots and learn to live in a new environment.
My situation was unique: I grew up speaking Cantonese at home and had zero exposure to Mandarin until taking Chinese Level 1 at UC Davis (I did learn later there was a Chinese class for heritage speakers, but I wouldn’t have qualified since I do not know any Mandarin at all). Learning Mandarin felt like learning an entirely new language, but diligent study paid off when I finally cracked the “code” from Cantonese to Mandarin. That “a-ha!” moment inspired me to declare Chinese as one of my majors.
From there, my next mission was seeing if I could successfully navigate mainland China under a new lens—traveling alone, experiencing regional differences in language and food between Northern and Southern China, and building confidence along the way.
3. Non-Heritage Exploration (South Korea)
My second study abroad experience in South Korea took a different approach. Although Korea shares geographic and Confucian cultural connections with China, I knew there would be distinct language and cultural barriers.
Having consumed Korean media, I developed a strong interest in the language, culture, history, and economic development of the country. I wanted to combine this interest with my academic and professional goals—which I successfully did through working with an education consulting firm and managing community activities for international students in Seoul. One of my proudest achievements was learning how to type Hangeul on my personal laptop’s keyboard and memorizing the patterns, and being able to use this skill in a professional setting.
🌐 Diversity & Micro-aggressions
Diversity can be a nuanced topic to cover as a Chinese/Asian American. Growing up in a relatively diverse community (alongside Latino, Hmong, Vietnamese, and Mien peers), I was familiar with standard Asian stereotypes. While I rarely experienced overt racism growing up (many of the stereotype Asian jokes were reinforced from time to time), entering university exposed me to even broader perspectives.
However, whether you come from a place of diversity or not, micro-aggressions and perceived attitudes can happen both at home and overseas, and many of these led to me shelved as a ‘perpetual foreigner’. Common examples I’ve encountered include in both the US and Korea are:
“Where are you really from?”
“What’s your first language?”
“Why can’t you speak Chinese fluently?” or “Why is your English so good”
As a Chinese/Asian American, studying abroad in Asia would be a different experience in the US, as my appearance ‘blended’ in with society and I could pass as a local there. Whereas if I studied abroad in Europe, or other locations where Asians are the minority, my experiences could differ, so definitely think how your race/ethnicity/color would be perceived overseas, vice versa in your home country. Considering how your destination views your home country—and how local culture interacts with your personal identity—helps you mentally and culturally prepare before departure.
Personally, how did I navigate this? It wasn’t an easy process as I felt pressured to pick a side, but soon realized I lose either way. As I grew older and had more experiences: I am either too “Asian” in my home country or too “American” in Asia. At some point, I asked myself – “How important is this to me” and “Does it matter”. As I lived with more life experiences, I learned that I can’t satisfy everyone and to just ‘let it go’. At the same time, set those boundaries, should one become too unnecessarily rude or dismissive with how I want to share my identity and story.
♿ Disabilities & Accessibility
Students with disabilities may need to be particularly proactive during the preparation phase to understand what accessibility services are available or limited at their host institution. This article covers a good perspective of what it is like to study abroad and talks about one’s experiences of what to expect and what are some things you should keep in mind.
Link: https://blog.uceap.universityofcalifornia.edu/study-abroad-disability-sarah-mahoney/
(If you are an advisor or student looking into this topic, I recommend checking out regional mobility resources and university disability service guides prior to application.)
🏳️🌈 LGBTQIA+ & Sexual Orientation Considerations
Having studied in both mainland China and South Korea, I’ve observed that topics surrounding sexual orientation and LGBTQIA+ identity are generally kept private, though awareness is growing among younger generations. Below are my experiences in China and Korea:
- Mainland China: Social attitudes lean toward general neutrality. Due to the government’s neutral attitude (not supportive, not against, but also not open to promoting) and strong emphasis of continuing family, favoring male offspring, etc, resources and support remain very limited-zero. While bigger cities will see more awareness and acceptance mostly with younger generations are often open-minded or neutral, older generations hold more conservative views, and less awareness in smaller cities. Students should prepare mentally, seek strong support networks, and understand local societal contexts.
- South Korea: Influenced by conservative and traditional norms, public discussions around LGBTQIA+ issues have historically been reserved. However, recent years have seen increased visibility through events like the annual Seoul Queer Culture Festival and local support organizations. While studying at Yonsei University—a historically Christian institution—I was pleasantly surprised to learn about a student-led queer advocacy group called Come Together.
- For anyone who happens to have a different pronouns, genders, or any info different from your legal documents, Asia tends to be not very lenient as you will be expected to submit and abide by your legal name and sex/gender, but definitely make sure if you can use a ‘preferred name’ in certain settings when possible. In certain countries for example in Africa or in the Middle East, opening up about the community can lead to social isolation or worse consequences.
Overall, while open conversations about LGBTQIA+ topics may be less common in East Asia compared to Western contexts, knowing local cultural nuances and finding welcoming peer communities helps ensure a safe and supportive experience. Personally, I already knew of Asia(besides Taiwan, Thailand, and Nepal), is generally not as welcoming compared to the Western counterparts. However, finding friends in that space was important and still possible. I learned that when you study abroad, the friends in that community become a part of your own little family and group of people you can trust and rely on. I have many fond memories of that and discovering more diversity of that group thriving when I was in Korea.
🧠 Mental & Physical Health Onsite
Navigating mental and physical health is a major part of the study abroad lifecycle, shifting from initial pre-departure excitement to daily operational realities overseas.
1. Managing Long Distance & Loneliness
- Staying Connected: During my time in Beijing and Seoul, staying in touch with family via WeChat made a huge difference. Apps like WeChat, KakaoTalk, WhatsApp, or Messenger help bridge the gap.
- Building Community: Finding local student groups or joining campus buddy programs helps mitigate initial loneliness.
- Recharging Your Social Battery: It’s okay to take “social breaks” when needed. Balancing academics, travel, and social events can be draining. Learning when to say no to protect your mental energy—and when to say yes to build meaningful friendships—is key.
2. Physical Health & Logistics
- Prescriptions: Research medication regulations early. Certain medications available in the U.S. may be restricted, limited, or illegal overseas. Always secure pre-approval for necessary treatments.
- Visa Health Screenings: Be prepared for mandatory local physical health exams if required by your host country’s visa process (such as in China).
- Personal Health Scare: During my time in Beijing, sudden cold weather once caused a minor health scare where I felt faint. It was a good reminder to prioritize self-care, monitor local climate shifts, and rest when needed.
📚 Academic Expectations
Academic environments overseas often vary significantly from home university structures:
Peking University (China)
- Language Courses: Fast-paced and intensive, requiring daily vocabulary memorization and weekly pop quizzes. It was doable, but definitely can be challenging for someone who struggles to keep up with the pace of learning languages.
- International Relations & Economics: IR courses were discussion-based and taught from a Western lens, whereas economics courses were heavily lecture-based with exams focused on memorization.
- Faculty Interactions: I remember having two professors were extremely approachable and friendly, often organizing group meals, outings, and cultural exchanges with exchange cohorts.
Yonsei University (South Korea)
- Course Structure: Lectures were largely Western-style, combining case studies and group projects.
- Enrollment Dynamics: Highly popular courses (like Business Negotiations) were competitive during registration, providing great opportunities to collaborate with international exchange peers during my Master’s studies.
Crucial Academic Reminder: Always stay aware of your home institution’s minimum credit and GPA requirements. If health, adjustment, or personal issues begin to impact your academics, contact your program advisor or onsite staff immediately. They are there to support you, but taking early initiative is essential.
🔄 Re-Entry Support
Your study abroad journey doesn’t end when your flight lands back home. Many students navigate reverse culture shock or wonder how to leverage their international experiences on their resume and in campus leadership roles.
Don’t hesitate to reconnect with your study abroad office upon return to explore returning-student workshops, alumni networks, or opportunities for future global study! For a better idea of what that could look like, please check out below:
🎯 Final Thoughts
Navigating identity, culture, mental health, and academics abroad is a continuous learning process. Whether you are heading to East Asia or anywhere else in the world, these core principles of reflection and self-advocacy apply globally.
Other resources to check out:
- https://www.verywellmind.com/panic-disorder-and-traveling-2584091
- https://miusa.org/resource/tipsheet/mentalhealthprep
Thank you for reading! What strategies helped you navigate identity or culture during your time abroad? Let’s connect in the comments below, and see you in the next issue of East & Weast!
Best,
Mason
East & Weast