Nervous/Dreading Erasmus!

I was in the same boat before I left, dead nervous and never having lived away from home before. Now I've been in France for nearly five months and I'm doing fine!

It's disorientating when you first arrive but everyone is dead helpful. Don't know if you're studying at a uni or doing a work placement - I'm studying. At the start I met all the other Erasmus students and everyone was the same, freaking out and overwhelmed.

Personally I still phone my mum every day. It was hard at the beginning when she first left but since we talk so often I don't miss her so much!

I suffer a lot from anxiety so I know how you feel. Try and think about your goal - getting that degree! - and remember, it's not forever, only a few months. You'll be back home soon. Try and stuff in as much fun as you can and don't worry if you make a bad impression because you'll never have to see any of these people again if you don't want!

Don't hide your nerves from your family, they want the best for you and if you talk about your specific worries with them you can come up with solutions.