I'd Do it All Again

As someone who has experienced the ups and downs and in bet-weens of study abroad, I am here to tell you to do it. Go abroad. Go overseas. See another part of the world and experience another culture.Before I went abroad, I was really nervous. I had a lot of anxiety about everything from finances to finding all my classes. I knew that it was going to be a challenge but I also knew that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t go abroad. So I talked with my advisers and applied for scholarships and read like 50 different blog posts on packing for going abroad; I was also terrified that I would forget something and be hopeless. But I said my goodbyes and boarded my plane and I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I felt like I was in a dream. A really cold dream because it was January in Spain but nevertheless a wonderful dream. Spain had so much to teach me about Spanish culture and the language but also about myself. I had deemed myself fairly independent going away to college in another state but being in a foreign country where they spoke another language was a different kind of independence all together. And I found my pace and got into a rhythm and before I knew it I was living in Spain, taking public transit to school, studying and exploring my beautiful host country and Spain as whole. Was I lonely sometimes, yes. This experience but a lot of things into perspective for me. I was able to experience and learn about multiple different cultures, each with their own similarities and differences on what the value the most and how they structure their lives.
While abroad, I traveled from city to city trying new foods and variations depending on the region. I learned different dialects and heard languages being spoken that I’d never heard before.I explored with new friends and even traveled by myself to different countries, safely and with situational awareness of course. Through study abroad and my specific program I was able to take Spanish and Latin dance classes as well as a sailing class where I learned to sail on the Mediterranean Sea. I was also able to travel to Morocco for a week with my study abroad program. There are so many unique and inspiring adventures that await abroad. I never knew there were so many things that I could do and get academic credit for while I was abroad. If you’re a prospective student reading this, I as you this. Where will your next adventure take you?