I was very nervous about the trip originally. I had never travelled alone to another country before. However, I was not alone. I had my family and friends back home. I had the support of my on-site ASA advisor, as well as my host mom and some other students who were also studying abroad at the same time. All of these people helped me to enjoy my time in Chile. Things that helped me to enjoy my semester outside of academics included going to weekly in-person therapy (my ASA advisor recommended me to a local, English-speaking therapist), going on hikes and exploring the city either alone, with friends, or through the university, and putting myself out there to try new things.
Of course, there were some challenges. I had to juggle academics with my interest in exploring the rest of the country. I also had some challenges with some of the other study abroad students (classic college drama), but I was able to work through these, though my therapist and even my host mom helped support me. In terms of safety, I had no issues until the day of my flight back to the U.S., when my wallet got stolen. Just my wallet, I still had my passport and phone.
All in all, I had an amazing time. I even met my current boyfriend there. So, if anyone is on the fence about studying abroad, I say go for it! You will not regret it.
If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I wouldn't focus so much on making new friends and meeting new people. I learned that no matter where I am or how I act, not everyone is going to want to be friends. If I had known that going into it, I would have spent more time doing trips and activities on my own. You should not have to depend on everyone joining you to pursue what you want. Once I learned this, I still went on cool hikes even if no one else was available. Or visited the beach just because I felt like it. I wish I could've felt that way the whole time I was abroad, but there was value in learning it too.
