Dear Study Abroad,

First off, I want to thank you for the best month of my life full of friendships, memories, and adventures. You've given me 31 new, amazing friends that have changed my life in ways they don't even know. Before this gets too sappy, here are tips, thoughts, and "stuff" that I want to share.

1. Check Under Your Bed - I've lost several items on my trip. It's a bad feeling. To save the worrying, check your whole room for unpacked items before you leave the hostel, hotel, or apartment you're staying at.

2. Pack light, but efficiently - Before the trip, they told me seven outfits for 30 days. Do you know how incredibly hard that is? I now understand why they told us to pack so light, because lugging up a suitcase of luggage every two days is the worst thing of your life (and my handle broke). Plus, you can always share clothes with other people.

3. Journal/Photograph EVERYTHING - You might regret not recording your moments when its over. You won't regret filling up your SD card. Also, it's okay to be that person that always wants a picture.

4. Have a DOPE playlist - Since you don't get much cellular data when out of the country, Spotify is your best friend & worst enemy. Save your playlists to offline beforehand and make sure there's a lot of songs. You never know when you're going to be DJ'ing.

5. Always bring sweatpants.

6. Talk to People - One of my favorite parts about going to New Zealand were the people. I would never talk to strangers in the US, but people in NZ were kind hearted and open to talk. I've learned so much from the people outside of the US

7. Eat Everything, Diet Later - Because, who really cares? You only live once.

8. Do Crazy Stuff - Karaoke, Bungee Jump, Skydive...

9. Appreciate what you have back at home - You never really miss ketchup, until you try different tasting ketchup.

10. Love the people you're with, and have the most amazing time.

Love,
Kelly