The Lesser Spotted Year Abroadee

The Year Abroadee: Similar to The Gap Yahee, The Year Abroadee can be identified by a loud audible voice braying about how culturally different England is to their chosen country and how interesting it is to have friends from all over the world. They particularly enjoy showing off their cooking skills that they picked up off one of their many South American friends and showing you their impressive shot glass collection from every city they visited throughout the year. They turn their nose up at mainstream music, preferring foreign artists who remind them of the 'best year of their lives,' and if you can't share their passion then it is simply a matter of 'you had to be there, darling.' 

Mostly spotted hanging around the Erasmus bar of their uni, in the hope of recreating the Erasmus experience by surrounding themselves with other people who can't speak their mother tongue, The Year Abroadee finds it particularly hard to adapt to normal life back in England. They will refuse to eat dinner with the family, insisting that it is about 5 hours too early and instead will isolate themselves in their den (plastered with year abroad photos) in order to take the compulsory or-I-wont-be-able-to-function siesta. When coming back from a night on the town, it is easy to discern the Year-Abroadee as they are the last person in the discoteca, screaming to anyone that will listen that 3 o'clock really is too early to be heading home while security try to prise yet another tequila shot from their desperate grip.

The Year Abroadee is easy to spot by the strange spanglish that they adopt into every-day language even when back in England. They forget how to swear in English, preferring the use of Spanish swearwords to make them appear more even cultured, and constantly forgetting the word for something in English and therefore having to resort to Spanish or hand gestures to an unimpressed shop assistant.

The Year Abroadee is also an expert on social spending, that is, the act of spending money in the aim of socialising. Before departing on a Year Abroad, The Year Abroadee begins life as a tight-fisted student, ordering a tap water instead of coffee and never pre drinking outside of its normal home habitat. Post year abroad however, The unrecognisable Year Abroadee will think nothing of ordering countless coffees and billions of beers, accustomed as they are to an unearned sum of money magically appearing in their account every term as well as much lower prices found abroad, a comparison they will not cease from making when purchasing anything in England.

When you come across a Year Abroadee, do not nod and smile while backing away slowly- show some kindness and humour them in their endless stories about that one time they got really drunk whilst travelling. Remember we will (nearly) all come back from abroad at least one time in our lives and if you show some compassion and understanding we can slowly help the Year Abroadee to integrate back into normal society.