For the older people reading this article, FOMO stands for “fear of missing out.” If you got left behind when your friends went across the pond, you know what it feels like when you open your phone to the 37th Instagram photo of Bavarian pretzels.
Here are some tips to get you through next semester:
1. Look out for cultural festivals in nearby cities
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There is so much culture all around us here in the United States. Go out and find local events and festivals that celebrate that culture. Plus, where there is a festival, there is food.
Here are some big ones:
- Patrick’s Day Parade — Montreal, QC
- National Cherry Blossom Festival — Washington, DC
- German-American Steuben Parade — New York, NY
- Mardi Gras — New Orleans, LA
2. Explore new foods near you
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Try a new type of cuisine. Find a restaurant you have never been to before. Or order something on the menu that you can’t pronounce. You don’t have to cross an ocean to discover new foods.
3. Have a potluck
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Get your other non-abroad friends together to eat. You’ll be too overwhelmed by all the food options to remember your abroad friend’s Snap story.
4. Instagram your American food
The best way to combat feelings of FOMO is to induce FOMO in someone else. France may have croissants, but do they have Chipotle?
5. Watch Passport to Paris
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Throw it back with a Mary Kate and Ashley classic. Who says you need to be in front of the Eiffel Tower to have a baguette fight?
6. Sit down to drink your coffee
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I’m serious. Stop drinking out of those paper cups on the go. Sit down and drink your coffee out of a mug. Maybe even find a place that puts a little leaf in the foam. Trust me, you’ll feel super classy and forget that you aren’t sitting in a European cafe.
7. Order pizza
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Apparently, we have better pizza than Italy anyway. Cue New York rat carrying pizza.
8. Remember we have Thanksgiving
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They might have some pretty cool food abroad, but they don’t celebrate the world’s greatest food holiday. So when you are feeling down, just think of turkey and pumpkin pie, and I promise you’ll feel better.
9. If all else fails, break out the sangria
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Who says you only can drink sangria in the summertime? We advocate for it year-round.