The summer after my freshman year I was working the right job and asked the right people to help me fund a four week study abroad trip in London. It’s a big thing to take on financially and, for some people, personally, too; going so far away from home, leaving your comfort zone and not really knowing anyone else going is a bit intimidating. But if shy little ole me can do it, anyone can. Traveling like that puts you on your own in a way that college sometimes doesn’t; you have to navigate major airports and cities and make smart decisions about where to go and how to stay safe in a place where your parents aren’t necessarily a phone call away. You’ll be in a completely unfamiliar territory where the culture is very different. But on top of all that school credit you’ll earn, you’ll learn so much about yourself and the world, even if it’s not necessarily studying abroad.

When I went, I didn’t have any close friends going. I knew a couple of people that were going but they weren’t people I talked to on a regular basis. That was something that didn’t really bother me until I was saying good bye to my Dad outside of security at the airport. As I sat in the terminal waiting to board my flight, I was scared and nervous. But I found some people from the program and we befriended each other. To this day, they’re still people I keep up with on Facebook. Once we got to London and settled in, some of my classmates from Texas befriended me. They were the people I roamed all around London and Normandy with for four weeks. Needless to say, we got to know each other and became good friends. They even called me their adopted Texan. One of these particular friends has a few stories he loves to hold above my head.

Finding friends like those, people I still keep in touch with today, is something I wasn’t sure would happen. But it made my time overseas so much more enjoyable. We had tons of laughs that are now stories we recount when we get to see each other and then laugh some more. Even if you think you’ll be too awkward to make friends, you will; having the common ground of being in an unfamiliar place can help you make friends more easily than you might think. Because of the bond you’ll make exploring new places and doing crazy things you never expected to be doing, these will likely be friends you’ll be able to keep for a long time even if you live in different states.

You may even befriend a few locals. The bouncer at the pub right down the street from the dorm that all of us went to, The Thirsty Bear, befriended me when he saw me hanging out by myself. He tried to pull me out of my shell but I wasn’t exactly all that willing. He was super nice though, not creepy at all; one afternoon he took me down into a different neighborhood to grab a bite to eat on his motorcycle. That was the first time I’d ever ridden one and I was dumb enough to wear shorts. Another lesson learned there was not to wear shorts on a bike. As sketchy as that may sound to some of you, it wasn’t. He’s somebody I’ve kept up with since I left, too. I even tried to coordinate meeting up with him when I went back overseas. So, you never know when or where you’re going to make some friends that you’ll be able to keep up with forever.

Another thing you may learn about yourself is that you’ll be more independent than you think; you’ll learn your way around pretty quickly and won’t feel very uneasy going around town by yourself. Public transit systems are pretty easy to figure out. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you’re set. Traveling around from country to country is also fairly easy, even as a party of one. It seems a bit intimidating, especially if you’re traveling to a country where you don’t know the language.

I happened to have a first hand experience with that; I took the overnight train from Paris to Rome, against my Dad’s wishes, and was in a sleeping car with five other people, a few Indian men, an Italian couple, and a black man that spoke English but was not American. One of the Indian guys had a bad habit of staring at me. On the last leg of the trip, he started a conversation with me in broken English and invited me to Bangladesh the next summer. I didn’t take him up on that. But it was an adventure to be in the same place with so many different people.

Stepping off the train into a different country I’d never been to before was very intimidating. I had no idea where to go but I managed to find my way around and make it to my hostel. While I wouldn’t recommend doing this on your first trip overseas as a nineteen year old girl, it was still a good experience. It helped me see that I could survive traveling alone in a foreign place and be fine. I gained more independence and bravery through that process. Even though I came across a few creeps,I also found some nice, helpful people. On that last leg of my trip, there was more than one occasion I had to ask for help on where to go, sometimes in a bit of a frantic state. Thankfully, I found a few kind souls who lent a helping hand and saw that I made it off safely. For that I will always be grateful.

That is part of one of the biggest things I took away from the experience, there are good, kind people in the world. We always hear and are told how you can’t trust anyone and that there are no good people left in the world. Even though it feels like it at times, it’s not true and I refuse to agree with anyone who says differently. Sure, they’re hard to find but they’re there. Give someone a chance before you turn your nose up at them. Once someone shows you kindness in a time of need, you’re more likely to follow their example.

Playing off that, another important thing I learned is that the world is a huge, beautiful place. When people asked me what I remember from my trip, I usually tell them feeling so very small. Spending the majority of your life in one place often makes the world seem small; you hear of places like Australia, Germany, China, England, and the like on the news but all you really know is where you’ve lived. You know those countries are real and you know they have pretty large populations. But until you set foot there and see all the life, you won’t be able to fully grasp how vast the world really is. When you think about the multitudes of people living and breathing in different countries at the same exact moment you are, it makes you feel like the smallest little ant there ever was.

It’s kind of a weird, maybe scary thing to think about but it’s reality. The world can be a scary place. However, it’s just as beautiful and interesting as it is scary, if not, more so. In light of recent events, you may think that you’re not going abroad because it’s not safe. Well, newsflash honey, there is no such thing as a safe place. Don’t debate me on this. There is no place where someone doesn’t get killed, stolen from, or abducted. Crime is everywhere. Similarly, there is no place that is safe from terrorism. Nobody knows where or when the next attack will happen but it’s going to happen. Don’t let fear of being a victim keep you from exploring the world. A life lived in fear is not a life. The world is ours to explore; seize every opportunity you have, take risks, and never forget to explore. Once you unleash your inner wanderlust, you won’t be able to reel it in.