In picking a college, there are a lot of factors that can make or break the decision. One of the coolest things about Tennessee Tech is that their study abroad program is really strong! Every semester, there are multiple faculty- and student-led trips that Tech supports. The best thing about this, though, is that my school has an exchange system where 10 hours of campus service, like telling people about the Study Abroad programs, can be subbed for airfare up to $1,000! Not only does this make getting foreign language, history, and humanities credits easier, it also helps ease any wanderlust you may have.

I have always been a big proponent of traveling, both domestically and abroad, because life is about so much more than just the little bubble you live in. Talking with someone from and learning about different places is one thing, but to be able to experience life in a new city or country can broaden your scope of thinking tremendously. With traveling, knowledge of other places is gained, but so is an understanding of different ways of life.

A favorite example I have is from my trip to Morocco almost a year ago. I didn't speak either of the primary national languages, Arabic and French, and was totally lost when it came to communication. The only words in French I learned were from ordering food on the airplane, and even then it was only poulet and café -- the essential food groups of chicken and coffee. What's more interesting, though, is that while in Morocco, I had the chance to eat dinner with a family that was a completely different religion than my own.

I'm not going to lie, this situation was extremely uncomfortable. I was sitting barefoot in a home with an Islamic family who fed us a traditional Moroccan meal just because they wanted some white Christian kids from America to learn about their customs and traditions. The family passed out forks for our convenience, noting that they usually just ate using their fingers and the ever-present khobz bread. But I was one of the lucky ones who didn't get a fork to eat with. As my stomach rumbled, I reached onto the dinner-table sized platter and ripped the breast from the chicken, stuffing it into a piece of white bread and shoved it into my mouth. No one even gave me a second look as we all savored the North African spices.

As I tried to keep up with conversations around me, my eyes darted back and forth, from face to face. Ultimately, I realized that even though I couldn't understand the words coming out of their mouths, I felt like I really knew the family that had so graciously welcomed us into their home. They had offered us a warm meal, showing their kindness and tradition of hospitality. By looking around their home, I saw the things that mattered to them -- pictures of family members, verses from the Quran, graduation certificates. Honestly, this family was a lot like mine, but in a different country.

Traveling doesn't have to be some kind of grand adventure around the world, but it can definitely be done that way. Traveling is just looking at the same life from a different angle, making sure you can see all the sides, facets, and perspectives so you can more clearly engage with the things you've been given.