I'm an NYU student and just returned from my semester abroad in Madrid. Here's what I wish I knew before I moved overseas.

• I'm a New York University student, and I just returned from my semester abroad in Madrid.
• I learned pickpocketing was a big issue and that language barriers weren't something to fear.

I graduated from high school in 2020 with a New York University acceptance letter and an invitation to study abroad in Madrid for my entire freshman year. Because of the pandemic, my plans to study abroad didn't come to fruition until this spring.

I left for Madrid in January and returned — ready but teary-eyed — in May.

Now that I'm back home in my NYC apartment, I realize I learned a lot from my semester abroad. It challenged me in many ways, but here are four of the main things I wish I had known before getting on that seven-hour flight.

Pickpocketing is a problem, and I wish I was more aware

In February, I went to a march in Madrid to support trans women. Exhilarated by the vibrant energy of a 17,000-person crowd, I never questioned my safety.

That was a mistake. I quickly learned pickpockets thrive in crowds. Amid the excitement, I sent a photo back home to my mom and put my phone in my jacket pocket. It was taken almost immediately.

The next day, I filed a police report and bought a burner phone. Fortunately, I was able to replace my iPhone a few weeks later. I learned my lesson and was ready to move on. But my phone was stolen for a second time from my zipped purse at a club — another pickpocketing nightmare.

At this point, I was disheartened by my experiences. I wasn't the only one; NYU said about 10 students had their phones stolen last semester.

Luckily, I made do without my phone. I got to enjoy a trip to Morocco with no social-media distractions.

I not only survived without a phone but also thrived in its absence in many ways. Like my parents told me, "Your phone's gone and that sucks — but you're not. That's what matters most."

Language barriers can be difficult, but they're an opportunity to meet great people

My taxi driver who took me from the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport to my residence in Chamberí was the first local I spoke with. He quickly caught on to my elementary-level Spanish and apologized for not speaking any English. I told him his language was anything but an inconvenience. We were in a Spanish-speaking country after all, and I was there to learn.

As we drove around the countless roundabouts under the late Spanish sunrise, he asked me what the English word for traffic light was. In exchange, I learned that "traffic light" is "semáforo" in Spanish.

It wasn't a perfect conversation. My Spanish was timid. I confused words such as "llovar," which means "to rain," with "llorar," which means "to cry." We laughed at my mistakes.

I learned that language barriers were not a reason to stop talking, dim your personality, or expect others to accommodate you. These are opportunities to learn, a chance to lean in to body language as a form of communication, and a great way to appreciate the patience of strangers.

I was surprised to learn my mental-health struggles didn't suddenly disappear while abroad

I honestly thought my anxiety, depression, and disordered eating would magically disappear during my seven-hour transatlantic flight. I mean, it's common to romanticize European destinations as a form of escapism.

I spent the first few months dismissing any negative emotion out of guilt. I felt that because I was young and traveling, I should be happy. I felt like it wasn't OK to be struggling with familiar things in a place where everything else was unfamiliar. Embrace the change and become a brand-new person, I thought.

But I had to realize that I was still me. In fact, mental health is often more challenging for international students; culture shock, language barriers, and a lack of sleep add discomfort to any existing problems. Everything you deal with before going to a new country is exasperating without a support system. I was surrounded by people I just met in a place I had never been. The sooner I started accepting my experiences, listening to my needs, and not judging how I felt, the faster I would absorb and appreciate all parts of studying abroad.

A semester abroad may seem like a long time, but it's not nearly enough to fully understand a new city

It's common for students at NYU to travel as much as possible. But I spent 14 out of 17 weekends in Madrid. I actually wish I had more time to engage with this city because three to four months simply wasn't enough time to get to know everything — especially a new culture, city, and language.

In fact, settling into a new city could take a year or more, a therapist said in a Bustle article.

Many students felt pressure to travel, and I did, too. I spent five days in Morocco, a weekend in Barcelona, Spain, and took day trips to other Spanish cities such as Toledo and Valencia. Besides that, I was in Madrid — a global city with so much to see and learn.

If you don't take as many flights as you thought you would, that's OK. If you can't afford a last-minute trip to the Canary Islands, that's OK. There's nothing wrong with staying central to one city because it'll take much longer than you have to fully understand it.

But I am so lucky that I got to live in a new city in a new country, and I learned so much from all my experiences.