By: Sheridan Kate Murray, foreign correspondent

Spending a semester abroad is by far the weirdest, most interesting and most challenging but simultaneously most rewarding endeavor I have ever set out to complete. I am officially at the halfway point of my semester, and before I left home, friends who had studied abroad in the past warned me that this was about the time when homesickness might set in.

I didn’t quite believe them. I was incredulous, seeing that I would only be in my host country for a few months. I did not see myself missing home, since it seemed like I wouldn’t even be abroad long enough to miss anything. However, this past week I have realized just how right they were.

Homesickness while abroad is the strangest, most complex feeling. On one hand, these past few months have been truly the best time of my life. I have immersed myself in Scottish culture, I have made so many amazing friends and I’ve gotten to travel to places I had only previously dreamed about.

However, I also find myself longing to be with friends from home on the weekends, sharing those memories. I miss my parents, and the ease with which I could run away from my responsibilities and visit them at home. More than anything, though, I miss my mountains and the certainty of self that comes from surrounding myself with my Southern heritage.

A lot of my study abroad experience thus far has made me feel like my heart is being tugged in many different directions. I miss home and my people, but I also have both feet firmly planted in my Scottish adventure. I am already missing my abroad friends and am sad about leaving them, nostalgic for memories with them that haven’t even been made yet.

I’m in love with the places we have traveled to, like Inverness and Málaga, and am yearning for our spring break trip to Paris and Barcelona. At the same time, I am thinking ahead to the summer, to internship plans and seeing friends from high school all while trying to readjust to life in America. These conflicting emotions and feelings can make the experience feel like emotional whiplash, so it’s not a surprise that I am feeling a bit homesick and seeking stability during this whirlwind period of my life.

Feeling homesick isn’t exactly the most pleasant sensation, but it has allowed me to learn so much about myself while abroad. I’ve learned that it’s okay to not always know exactly who you are and where you’re headed. The version of myself that has been blooming here all semester is certainly different from the version that cheers on the Terriers at football games and tailgates with my Theta sisters. Even so, I am learning that this is a really great thing. The experiences that stretch us, change us and make us grow are often the most valuable experiences by far.

At the time of my writing this, I have exactly two more months in Glasgow. While I am sure that another inevitable spell of homesickness will hit before that time is over, I am making it a priority not to dwell on this feeling. Instead, I wish to spend each day of my remaining time here fully soaking up and appreciating every minute. Also, I intend to embrace homesickness for what it is, and realize how lucky I am to have a home life worth missing.

Until then, I will spend time with my amazing abroad friends, appreciate the Scottish landscape as much as my mountains and take just a minute to connect with my life back home. For me today, that means listening to the Dixie Chicks, reaching out to Wofford friends and telling family that I love them.