I am 20 years old and I have never been out of the country — until about two weeks ago. I had never even been to Mexico or Canada when I applied to study and work an internship in London for two weeks this summer. Even though it has been a short time, I already feel so strongly about how much I have learned from this trip.

I am not out here preaching about how “abroad changed me” and “I found myself while I was abroad.” No. I am still the same person I am not changed or different at all.

I do, however, already have such a different perspective on the world. This trip is making me realize that Americans, especially ones who never leave America, have the tendency to think that America is the whole world. There is nothing else beyond California or the East Coast. It is easy to forget about what’s going on everywhere else around the globe when America is so big, it’s hard to even keep up with all that’s going on in our own country.

That is why it is so worthwhile to make these trips. If you are American and have never left America, please change that soon. Especially a trip like mine, where we are staying for a long period of time, we really get to experience how others live. I am soaking in as much of it as I possibly can and am loving every second of it. Even though I am CRAVING some mozzarella sticks and Chick-fil-A.

The thing that is so different about all of these countries from America, is that they are so invested in each other’s cultures and news. This is harder for Americans because our country is so far away and so large. There is something so interesting and connected about being just a train ride away from Paris or Amsterdam or Dublin.

Something else that they have across Europe and Asia and most countries other than America is that there are centuries upon centuries of history within these streets that date back much further than the 1700s. I can walk down the street looking for a museum and stumble upon Shakespeare’s Globe or Charles Dickens’ old childhood home. These are experiences you won’t find in America, and they have a special value to them.

You won’t find 100-year-old buildings in the middle of downtown next to brand new buildings that had to be rebuilt after WWII. It makes all of those things you learn about in History class in school feel like real, tangible events.

I know we like to stick with what we know and what feels comfortable, but your comfort zone is your worst enemy. Go out and explore. Appreciate other cultures and become more accepting of them when you come back home. You have nothing to wait around for — except maybe after saving enough funds for that plane ticket.

Please go see the world for yourself. I promise you won't regret it.