Preface:

I am freshman in the College of Media at the University of Illinois. At the beginning of the year, I was given the opportunity to go to Belgium during spring break through the college. Being an out-of-stater and having never been out of the country, I was hesitant to not go home for an entire semester and travel by myself.

I brought it up to my parents assuming they would say no, and actually somewhat hoping they would. However, they acknowledged how incredible of an opportunity this was. It was a chance to try studying abroad before actually studying abroad. Because they believed it would be beneficial for me to go, I was a bit more convinced to step out of my comfort zone.

Out of my comfort zone I was, as I stepped into a meeting with 9 girls I wasn't friends with. It was frightening and intimidating, but as the leader explained the trip last year with a couple of students who had gone on it, the nerves were overpowered (slightly) by intrigue. The trip was affordable and enticing, and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity I was being offered, as this is the main objective of college.

My entire first semester and beginning of second was spent anxiously anticipating my Belgium excursion; I was nervous to be without my parents, to sit on a plane for longer than I ever had and to be in a foreign land. Now, I sit in my dorm room and wish that spring break could have lasted forever, or at least for the rest of the semester. Traveling while you're able is one of the most important aspects of college because it literally teaches you in the classroom of life.

A portion of my last blog post of the trip (written on the plane ride home):

Day 7: March 28, 2015 (Last Day)

What I find incredible is how terrified I was to go on this trip. Besides never having been out of the country, I didn't really know anybody going (** and we weren't really friends until after we signed up), and I was weary about not being able to go home for the entire semester. However, the experiences I just had over the past week and incomparable to anything I would have done at home. I made nine new friends who not only share my interests, but who I also feel comfortable being around after only a week. Everybody got along so well, one would think we'd all been friends prior.

Belgium itself is a country I am proud to say I've visited and has stolen a bit of my heart. Throughout all of my history classes in school, Belgium was always a country on the back-burner. It was invaded, it supported the major powers, it persisted – and never once I would have truly desired to visit. However, Belgium's history, its scenery and its people are beautiful and worth learning about and seeing. I am beyond thankful to have had the opportunity to “study abroad" (how many freshmen can say that?), and again, I am so reassured in my decision to come to this school and I could not be happier.

I know that I am coming back a different person; I am braver, I am more independent, I'm worldly. More than that, I am confident that I am doing what I am supposed to and that I will take the opportunities that will be continuously presented to me. I will keep stepping farther away from my comfort zone, I will work hard to get to where I want to be and do the things I want to do; most importantly, I will continue to keep learning about the world and about myself in order to get the most of my college experience and my life.

Thank you Illinois, for being the greatest school in the entire world. And thank you Belgium, for giving me an unforgettable experience and instilling within me a curiosity that will take me far.

Traveling not only taught me that I want to study abroad, but also the possibilities of what I will gain when I do so.

Studying abroad is hardly an educational experience that will take you far with your major; however, it will take you far in life. It will force you to step out of your comfort zone and interact with people who are different from yourself. It will give you insight to difference cultures, different attitudes and ultimately different ways of life. Most importantly, it will teach you about your capacity to take in new experiences and learn as much as you can.

You will eat food that you will never look at in the same way again when you get home; you will see buildings and statues that you've only seen in textbooks; you will meet people who you'll fall in love with in a short amount of time.

Truly, you will feel like a different person abroad and you will come home a different person.

Abroad is an experience that is, literally, worth a lifetime, because it will affect you in ways you'll carry for your entire life.